T ARCHBISHOP  OFEALTLMOBX. 


Tram  the.  Original  Portrait  by  Stuart . 


P.  0  '  Shea,  "New York. 


LIVES 

1 — 


DECEASED   BISHOPS 


IN   THE    UNITED    STATES, 


WITH  AN  APPENDIX  AND  AN  ANALYTICAL  INDEX. 


BY   RICHARD   H.    CLARKE,   A.M. 


Like  stars,  to  their  appointed  heights  they  climb. — SHELLEY. 


VOL.    I. 


NEW  YORK: 

P.     O'SHEA,     27    BARCLAY    STREET. 
1872. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Confess,  in  the  year  1872,  by 

R:     H.    CLARKE,    A.M., 
lo  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


v.) 


TO 

Jatfc**, 
PIUS  IX., 


WHO    DEFINED    THE    DOGMA    OF 
THE    IMMACULATE    CONCEPTION    OF    THE   VIRGIN    MOTHER: 

WHO    CONVENED    THE    OECUMENICAL    COUNCIL 

OF    THE    VATICAN,    AND    DEFINED    THE    DOGMA    OF 

PAPAL     INFALLIBILITY; 

WHOSE    PROLONGED    PONTIFICATE    HAS    BEEN 

A    TRIUMPHAL    PROCESSION 
FROM    CROSS    TO     CROSS.    AND    FROM    CROWN    TO    CROWN; 

WHOM    HISTORY    WILL    CALL    PIUS    THE    GREAT; 

THESE    VOLUMES    ARE    REVERENTLY    DEDICATED    BY    HIS 
DEVOTED    SON    IN    CHRIST. 


(Elje  ftntfjor. 


THANKS. 


THE  Author  returns  sincere  thanks  for  materials  furnished 
and  for  courtesies  and  favors  extended  to  him,  during  the  pre- 
paration of  this  work,  by  the  following  gentlemen  : — 

Most  Rev.  Archbishop  McCLOSKEY,  New  York. 
"  "  SPALDING,  Baltimore. 

"  "  ALEMANY,   San  Francisco. 

"  "  PURCELL,  Cincinnati. 


Bight  Rev.  Bishop  Elder,  Natchez. 

"  "       McFarland,  Hartford. 

"  "       Williams,  Boston. 

«  "      Feehan,  Nashville. 

"  "       Bay  ley,  Newark. 

"          Dr.  O'Connor,  Baltimore. 

"    Seton,  New  Jersey. 
Very  Rev.  John  McCaffrey,  Emmittsburg, 

Md. 

"         M.  F.  Grignon,  Missi<«ippi. 
"         A.  M.  Paresce,  Maryland. 
"         A.  D.  Pellicer,  Alabama. 
"         Chas.    I.    White,  District  of 

Columbia. 

"         P.  J.  Ryan,  St.  Louis. 
"         Ferd.  Coosemans,  S.J.,    Mis- 
souri. 

"         Isaac  T.  Hecker,  New  York. 
Rev.  Win.  F.  Clarke,  S.J.,  Baltimore. 
"     George  F.  Haskins,  Boston. 
"     Fra.icis  McNeirny,  New  York. 


Rev.  Jos.  M.  Finotti,  Mass. 

"     F.  X.  De  Neckere,  S.J.,  Penn. 

"     E.  I.  Young,  California. 

"     Thad.  Anwander,  Maryland. 

"     Wm.  Beacham,  New  York. 

"     John  Breen,  New  York. 

"     E.  P.  Walters,  Indiana. 
John  G.  Shea,  Esq.,  New  York. 
Raphael  Semmes,  Esq.,  Mobile. 
G.  A.  Finotti,  Esq.,  Boston. 
Jas.  A.  McMaster,  Esq.,  New  York. 
Dr.  E.  B.  O'Callaghan,  New  York. 
Hon.  B.  J.  Webb,  Kentucky. 

"     James  Campbell,  Philadelphia. 
John  Carroll  Brent,   Esq.,   Washington, 

D.  C. 

Edward  C.  Donnelly,  Esq.,  New  York. 
D.  Lamson,  Esq.,  New  York. 
Edward  Ives,  Esq.,  New  Jersey. 
Patrick  O'Shea,  Esq.,  New  York. 
Lawrence  Kehoe,  Esq. ,  New  York. 


PREFACE. 


THE  Church  of  America  is  said  even  now  to  be  in  her  infancy. 
So  much  is  to  be  done.  So  vast  is  the  field.  So  rapid  her 
present  growth.  Yet  she  possesses  an  antiquity  of  her  own, 
traces  her  history  back  eight  hundred  years,  and  links  her 
origin  and  traditions  with  the  Ages  of  Faith.  In  the  tenth  cen- 
tury Christianity  was  planted  on  our  Continent  by  Northmen, 
and  in  the  twelfth  a  devoted  Catholic  Bishop  and  zealous  mis- 
sionaries blessed  the  soil  of  our  own  country  by  their  ministry 
and  by  their  lives. 

A  long  period  of  undisturbed  paganism  followed.  But  in  the 
fifteenth  century  the  genius  of  Columbus,  stimulated  and  en- 
lightened by  his  Catholic  devotion  and  faith,  presented  a  new 
world  to  Christendom,  and  the  cross  of  salvation  gleamed  upon 
both  continents  of  our  hemisphere. 

Within  the  same  generation  that  witnessed  the  splendid  suc- 
cess of  Columbus,  the  Church,  wafting  her  graces  on  the  wings 
of  discovery,  despatched  a  Catholic  Prelate  and  missionaries  to 
evangelize  the  dusky  children  of  the  everglades,  and  build  up 
the  diocese  of  Florida.  They  came,  and  heroically  gave  their 
lives  for  the  flock  they  loved  only  in  Christ.  During  the  Colo- 
nial period  our  churches,  whether  in  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania, 
or  in  Louisiana  and  Florida,  or  through  the  Valley  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, were  attached  to  the  jurisdictions  of  the  parent  nations. 

The  venerable  succession  of  Archbishops  of  Baltimore  ex- 
tends back  to  the  infancy  of  the  Republic.  The  Archbishops 
of  New  Orleans  trace  back  their  line  to  the  Spanish  Bishops  of 
the  last  century.  In  1808  the  Sees  of  New  York,  Boston, 
Philadelphia,  and  Bardstown  (now  Louisville)  were  created, 
and  since  that  auspicious  era  the  episcopal  sees  of  the  United 
States  have  multiplied  like  the  mustard-seed  of  the  Gospel.  In 


viii  Preface. 

1846  Oregon,  and  in  1847  St.  Louis,  were  raised  to  Archiepis- 
copal  Sees.  In  1850  New  Orleans,  New  York,  and  Cincinnati 
were  also  erected  into  metropolitans.  The  same  was  done  for  San 
Francisco  in  1853.  The  primacy  of  honor  among  Bishops  and 
Archbishops  was  conferred  upon  the  Archbishops  of  Baltimore. 

The  growth  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  our  midst  has  propor- 
tionately far  outstripped  that  of  the  Republic.  In  a  period  of 
ninety-five  years,  the  United  States  have  increased  from  thir- 
teen States  to  thirty-seven  States  and  eleven  Territories  ;  while 
the  Church,  during  a  period  of  eighty-one  years,  has  increased 
from  one  bishopric  to  fifty-four  bishoprics,  six  vicariates  apos- 
tolic, and  four  abbeys  with  mitred  abbots.  The  population  of 
the  country  has  increased  from  2,803,000  to  about  40,000,000, 
an  increase  of  about  1,433  oer  centum  ;  while  the  Catholic  pop- 
ulation has  increased  from  25,000  to  about  5,500,000,  an  increase 
of  22,000  per  centum.  The  increase  in  our  Catholic  population 
has  resulted  from  foreign  immigration,  the  natural  growth  of 
our  native  population,  conversions  from  the  sects,  and  acces- 
sions from  the  Indian  tribes.  The  salvation  of  the  Indians  has 
ever  been  one  of  the  dearest  aims  of  the  Catholic  Church.  The 
Church  is  conservative  and  productive.  Had  her  efforts  not 
been  defeated  by  the  non-Catholic  and  inhuman  policy  pursued 
towards  the  Indians,  they  too  would  have  been  prepared  for  an 
enlightened  civilization  on  earth,  and  for  the  enjoyment  of  the 
beatific  vision  in  heaven. 

But  the  Church  in  the  United  States  had  to  provide  spiritually 
for  this  vast  and  rapid  growth  of  her  children.  The  zeal  with 
which  she  has  addressed  herself  to  this  gigantic  work  of  labor, 
fecundity,  and  grace,  and  her  success,  could  have  proceeded 
alone  from  God.  Our  clergy  have  been  increased  from  twenty- 
one  priests  in  1790,  to  about  four  thousand  eight  hundred,  dis- 
pensing the  blessings  of  faith  and  religion  to  five  and  a  half 
millions  of  Catholics,  worshipping  at  four  thousand  two  hundred 
and  fifty  churches  and  seventeen  hundred  chapels  and  stations. 
The  incense  of  prayer  and  benediction  ascends,  also,  from 
thousands  of  institutions  dedicated  to  religion,  education,  and 
charity,  and  dispensing  inestimable  blessings  upon  the  land. 


Preface.  ix 

To  Rome,  the  Capital  of  the  Christian  World,  Eternal  City, 
destined  in  our  hopes  and  prayers  and  faith  to  be  restored  to  us 
again  as  the  free  and  undesecrated  Mistress  and  Ruler  of 
Churches,  and  to  the  Sovereign  Pontiffs  therein,  Vicars  of 
Christ  on  Earth,  we  turn  with  love  and  gratitude  for  the  care, 
solicitude,  and  support  bestowed  upon  our  Churches,  and  for 
the  exemplary  Prelates  bestowed  upon  them  by  the  Chief 
Bishop  of  the  Church.  To  our  venerable  Hierarchy,  Bishops 
and  priests,  and  to  the  religious  orders,  both  male  and  female, 
we  render  thanks  for  their  labors,  their  sacrifices,  their  suffer- 
ings, and  their  suffrages. 

To  our  Prelates,  especially,  is  due  under  God  the  splendid 
result  we  have  but  faintly  mentioned.  They  were  the  founders 
of  our  Churches,  the  pioneers  of  the  faith,  and  the  chief  pastors 
of  our  flocks.  In  poverty  and  suffering  they  commenced  -the 
work,  and  spent  themselves  for  others.  A  diocese  just  erected 
upon  the  frontiers,  in  the  midst  of  a  new  and  swarming  popula- 
tion, to  anticipate  and  save  the  coming  faithful,  the  hope  of  a 
future  flock,  an  outpost  upon  the  borders  of  Christianity  and 
civilization— such  was  the  frequent  work  and  vigilant  foresight 
of  the  Propaganda  and  of  the  Councils  of  Baltimore.  Such  the 
charge  confided  to  a  newly  consecrated  Bishop.  To  the  re- 
ligious enterprise  and  untiring  providence  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  in  her  prompt  and  vigorous  measures  for  the  extension 
of  the  faith  in  this  country,  may  well  be  applied  the  striking 
lines  of  Milton  : — 

"Zeal  and  duty  are  not  slow; 
But  on  occasion's  forelock  watchful  wait." 

Paradise  Regained. 

To  assume  tlje  task  of  creating,  as  it  were,  building  up,  and 
governing  the  infant  Churches  thus  confided  to  their  care,  was 
the  work  that  was  faithfully  and  zealously  performed  by  our 
Bishops.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  a  Bishop  to  be  sent 
to  a  diocese  where  there  was  scarcely  a  shrine  or  a  priest ; 
where  he  not  only  had  no  friends  or  organized  flock  to  receive 
him,  but  where  he  had  not  even  an  acquaintance  ;  where  he 
would  not  meet  a  face  that  he  had  ever  seen  before.  In  some 


x  Preface. 

instances  he  had  to  enter  a  diocese  rent  with  disunion  or  schism 
among  the  people.  In  others  he  was  compelled  to  reside  out 
of  the  episcopal  city  by  reason  of  disaffection  prevailing  within. 
In  other  cases  such  was  their  poverty,  that  they  had  not  the 
necessary  means  to  procure  an  episcopal  outfit,  to  provide  a 
pectoral  cross  and  crozier,  or  to  pay  their  traveling  expenses  to 
their  dioceses.  In  many  cases  the  humble  log  cabins  of  the 
West  were  their  episcopal  palaces  and  cathedrals  ;  and  fre- 
quently church,  episcopal  residence,  parish  school,  and  theo- 
logical seminary  were  all  under  the  same  contracted  roof.  In 
the  midst  of  such  difficulties  we  behold  examples  of  humility, 
patience,  cheerfulness,  zeal,  charity,  love,  poverty  and  untir- 
ing labor.  A  study  of  such  examples,  and  of  lives  so  good, 
so  heroic,  has  led  us  to  undertake  the  work  now  presented  to 
the  public,  in  order  to  repeat  and  continue  their  holy  in- 
fluences, to  preserve  the  memory  of  such  deeds,  to  render  a 
tribute  to  those  honored  names,  and  to  rescue,  as  far  as  we 
could,  our  Catholic  traditions  from  oblivion  or  total  loss.  We 
applied  to  ourself,  and  yielded  to,  the  spirit  of  the  poet's  ap- 
peal : — 

"  Spread  out  Earth's  holiest  records  here, 
Of  days  and  deeds  to  reverence  dear; 
A  zeal  like  this  what  pious  legends  tell  ?  " 

We  are  conscious  of  a  double  imperfection  in  our  work : 
first,  that  which  proceeds  from  our  own  unworthiness  and  short- 
comings, by  reason  of  which  we  submit  our  task  with  unfeigned 
diffidence  and  humility  to  the  generous  reader ;  secondly,  that 
which  proceeds  from  the  insufficiency  of  the  materials  at  our 
service — an  imperfection  which  we  should  be  glad  to  have 
remedied  by  the  kind  assistance  of  such  as  possess  additional 
materials,  and  are  willing  to  give  us  the  use  of  them. 

We  also  submit  our  labor  to  the  Holy  Father,  the  Universal 
Bishop,  with  most  sincere  protestations  of  reverence,  obedience, 
and  love. 

THE  AUTHOR. 

NEW  YORK  CITY, 
FEAST  OF  THE  ASSUMPTION  B.  V.  M.,  1871. 


CONTENTS   OF  VOL.  I. 


AD*  PACT 

1 121.  Eric,  Bishop  of  Garda,  First  American  Bishop 13 

1526.  Right  Rev.  Juan  Juarez,  Bishop  of  Rio  de  las  Palmas,  Florida. .  21 

1790.  Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  First  Archbishop  of  Baltimore 32 

1793.  Most  Rev.  Luis  Penalver  y  Cardenas,  First  Bishop  of  New  Or- 
leans, afterwards  Archbishop  of  Guatemala  and  of  Havana. . .  1 14 
1800.  Most  Rev.  Leonard  Neale,  Second  Archbishop  of  Baltimore. ...  n6 

1802.  Right  Rev.  Francis  Porro,  Second  Bishop  of  New  Orleans 139 

1808.  Right  Rev.  Luke  Concanen,  First  Bishop  of  New  York 140 

1810.  Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  First  Bishop  of  Bardstown 

and  of  Louisville 144 

1810.  Most  Rev.  Louis  de  Cheverus,  First  Bishop  of  Boston,  after- 
wards  Bishop   of  Montauban,   and   Cardinal   Archbishop  of 

Bordeaux,  France 164 

1810.  Right  Rev.  Michael  Egan,  First  Bishop  of  Philadelphia 185 

1814.  Right  Rev.  John  Connelly,  Second  Bishop  of  New  York 192 

1815.  Most  Rev.  William  Louis  Dubourg,  Third  Bishop  of  New  Or- 

leans, afterwards  Archbishop  of  Besangon,  France 205 

1817.  Most  Rev.  Ambrose  Marshal,  Third  Archbishop  of  Baltimore..  239 

1819.  Right  Rev.  John  Baptist  David,  Coadjutor  Bishop  of  Bardstown.  256 

1820.  Right  Rev.  Patrick  Kelly,  First  Bishop  of  Richmond,  afterwards 

Bishop  of  Waterford  and  Lismore,  Ireland 268 

1820.  Right  Rev.  John  England,  First  Bishop  of  Charleston 271 

1820.  Right  Rev.  Henry  Conwell,  Second  Bishop  of  Philadelphia 310 

1822.  Right  Rev.  Edward  D.  Fcnwick,  First  Bishop  of  Cincinnati 328 

1824.  Right  Rev.  Joseph  Rosati,  Coadjutor  Bishop  of  New  Orleans, 

'    and  First  Bishop  of  St.  Louis 353 

1825.  Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fcnwick,  Second  Bishop  of  Boston.  374 

•  The  date*  given  in  the  Table  of  G>n:-nl»  refer  to  th«  yearn  in  which  the  Bishops  were  consecrated. 


xii  Contents. 

A.D.  1'AGB 

1826.  Right  Rev.  John  Dubois,  Third  Bishop  of  New  York 414 

1826.  Right  Rev.  Michael  Portier,  First  Bishop  of  Mobile 438 

1828.  Most  Rev.  James  Whitfield,  Fourth  Archbishop  of  Baltimore. . .  456 
i8y>.  Most  Rev  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  Third  Bishop  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  Sixth  Archbishop  of  Baltimore 473 

1830.  Right  Rev.  Deo  Raymond  de  Neckere,  Fourth  Bishop  of  New 

Orleans 518 

1834.  Most  Rev.  Samuel  Eccleston,  Fifth  Archbishop  of  Baltimore 525 


THE  LIVES 


OF  THE 


IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


ERIC,  BISHOP  OF  GARDA, 

First  American  Bishop,- A. D.  1121.* 

THE  star  that  appeared  in  the  East  and  moved 
towards  the  West,  standing  over  Bethlehem,  was  more 
than  the  sign  of  a  Savior's  birth  :  it  was  at  once  em- 
blem and  prophecy  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  Christi- 
anity. From  the  rejection  of  Our  Lord  by  the  Jews, 
the  course  of  that  benign  faith  was  from  the  East,  where 
it  arose,  to  the  West.  The  journeys  of  St.  Peter  and 
St.  Paul,  from  Jerusalem  to  Rome,  were  the  begin- 
nings of  the  fulfilment.  The  wonderful  achievements  of 
the  Church  in  overcoming  heathenism  and  barbarism, 
and  in  reducing  the  continent  of  Europe  under  the 
sweet  yoke  of  her  Divine  Lord,  constitute  an  unparal- 
leled conquest  in  the  annals  of  our  race — proof  of  her 

*  Authorities :  Antiquitates  Americana  ;  Wheat  on' s  Northmen  ;  North  Ameri- 
fan  A'evtfrti ;  History  of  the  Catholic  Missions,  by  John  G.  Shea ;  The  Catholic 
Church  in  the  United  States,  by  l)e  Courcy  and  Shea;  Irvine's  Columbus,  Vol.  III. 
Appendix — Title,  Voyages  of  the  Scandinavians  ;  Lecture  on  the  History  of  America 
btj\n~t  Columbus,  by  Bishop  Lynch,  of  Charleston,  &c,,  &c. 


14  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

divine  origin  and  commission.  The  contest  she  carried 
on  for  centuries  with  the  powers  of  darkness  resulted 
in  her  triumph  only  after  the  most  sublime  efforts  of 
heavenly  grace  and  human  genius,  the  heroic  labors 
of  armies  of  Christian  missionaries,  and  the  flowing 
of  copious  streams  of  the  blood  of  martyrs.  Inch  by 
inch  was  the  ground  contested,  from  the  Orient  to  the 
Emerald  of  ttie  Sea.  Westward  was  the  triumphant 
march  of  the  cross.  The  long  centuries  that  intervened, 
from  the  rise  of  Christianity  to  its  complete  establish- 
ment in  Europe,  and  its  advent  to  the  Western  hemi- 
sphere, were  ages  of  heroic  and  gigantic  labors,  of 
brilliant  and  glorious  successes.  It  is  not  so  much  a 
matter  of  wonder  that  the  delay  was  so  long,  but  rather 
that  the  effort  was  so  soon  made,  and  that  there  should 
have  beamed  on  this  new  world,  at  so  early  a  period, 
the  resplendent  light  of  the  Christian  Faith.  The  ad- 
vance of  Christianity  to  our  shores  was  not  even  known, 
at  the  time,  to  involve  the  discovery  of  a  new  world ; 
thus  the  subsequent  discovery  of  Columbus  electrified 
mankind.  Indeed,  if  we  may  judge  from  a  human  point 
of  view,  the  missionaries  of  the  Catholic  Church  rushed 
impetuously  to  this  vast  field,  yet  unprepared,  before  the 
fulness  of  time  had  been  accomplished.  Our  soil  was 
blessed  by  Christianity,  by  its  missions,  prayers,  and 
sacrifices,  as  early  as  the  tenth  century — a  flash  of  light 
and  glory  most  effulgent,  but  transient — a  ray  of  hope 
for  a  future  Christendom ! 

From  Ireland,  the  western  terminus  of  Christian  na- 
tions, colonization  and  the  Faith  extended  northward  to 
Iceland.  The  Icelanders, — 

"  Far  in  the  Northern  Land, 
By  the  wild  Baltic's  strand," — 


Eric,  Bishop  of  Garden  15 

hardy '  explorers  and  marauders  of  the  northern  seas, 
pushed  their  adventures  beyond  the  Eastern  to  the 
Western  hemisphere.  It  was  thus,  by  bold  advances, 
the  Northmen  not  only  swept  the  seas,  but  also  planted 
colonies  on  the  Southern  coast  of  North  America  as 
early  as  the  tenth  century. 

"Joining  the  corsair's  crew, 
O'er  the  dark  sea  I  flew 

With  the  marauders. 
Wild  was  the  life  we  led ; 
Many  the  souls  that  sped, 
Many  the  hearts  that  bled, 

By  our  stern  orders." 

Iceland  had  not  yet  been  converted  to  Christianity, 
and  the  first  colonists  were  pagans.  In  the  mean  time 
Christianity  advanced  from  Ireland  into  Iceland,  and  it 
was  not  long  after  it  gained  a  foothold  there  that 
Catholic  missionaries  went  out  to  convert  their  country- 
men in  Greenland.  Some  of  the  colonists  who  went 
from  Iceland  to  Greenland  pagans,  returned  Christians. 
Prominent  among  these  was  Ar6  Marson,  a  pagan  Ice- 
lander, driven  by  the  storms  of  the  Northern  ocean  into 
the  colony  in  the  year  983.  He  received  there  the  re- 
generating waters  of  baptism.  Lief,  son  of  Eric  the 
Red,  the  founder  of  Greenland,  returning  to  Europe 
soon  afterwards,  visited  the  mother-country,  when  Olaus, 
Norway's  sainted  King,  became  the  instrument  of  his 
conversion  to  Christianity. 

Lief  returned  to  Greenland  in  the  year  1000,  accom- 
panied by  Catholic  missionaries,  who  must  have  been 
imbued  in  an  eminent  degree  with  the  true  apostolic 
spirit,  for  it  was  not  long  before  most  of  the  Northmen 
in  America  were  Christians.  The  churches  and  con- 


1 6  Lira  of  the   Catholic  Bishops. 

vents  of  Greenland  began  to  compare  in  piety  and  learn- 
ing with  those  of  the  mother-country.  But  already  had 
wind  and  wave  driven  some  of  these  hardy  explorers 
to  the  southern  coast  of  what  are  now  Canada  and 
New  England;  and  they,  returning  afterwards  to  ex- 
plore the  country  thus  seen,  coasted  along  Labrador  and 
Nova  Scotia,  and,  adventuring  still  farther,  sailed  into 
Narragansett  Bay.  The  country  was  festooned  with 
vines  teeming  with  wild  grapes,  and  received  from 
these  first  of  European  visitors  the  name  of  Vinland. 

A  settlement  was  formed,  and  fostered  under  Thor- 
wald,  Thorstein,  and  Thorfin  successively.  The  mission- 
ary was  never  behind  the  adventurer  and  explorer  ;  and 
Greenland  sent  her  priests  to  convert  the  pagan  North- 
men of  Vinland,  their  own  countrymen.  Thus,  among 
the  colonists  of  the  same  country,  Druids  and  Christians, 
the  altars  of  Thor  and  Woden  arose  alongside  of 
Christian  shrines,  in  which  the  Immaculate  Lamb  was 
immolated,  a  willing  victim  for  the  souls  of  men.  It  was 
during  these  north-western  explorations  that  congratula- 
tions were  exchanged  between  Icelanders,  Greenlanders, 
and  Vinlanders,  over  the  almost  simultaneous  conver- 
sion of  the  mother-country  and  her  colonies. 

The  most  active  and  zealous  of  the  Norse  missionaries 
was  the  celebrated  Eric,  the  first  of  Catholic  priests  who 
placed  his  foot  on  our  soil,  the  first  bishop  that  exercised 
jurisdiction  over  any  part  of  America.  He  had  already 
spent  several  years  in  the  arduous  missions  of  Green- 
land. When  his  countrymen,  under  Thorwald,  Thor- 
stein, and  Thorfin,  who  were  said  to  have  been  of  Irish 
origin,  began  to  colonize  the  newly-discovered  country 
of  Vinland,  the  ardent  spirit  of  Eric  carried  him  among 
the  first  to  those  new  fields  of  apostolic  labor.  Here, 


Eric,  Bishop  of  Gar  da.  17 

for  several  years,  he  toiled  and  served  with  holy  zeal  and 
with  great  success.  So  great  was  the  progress  of  the 
faith  in  Greenland,  and  of  the  mission  in  Vinland,  that,  in 
1 1 20,  Eric  returned  to  Norway,  and  induced  the  ecclesi- 
astical authorities  to  found  a  bishopric  in  the  new  colony, 
and  to  provide  for  an  organization  of  the  rising  Church. 
It  was  thus  through  the  bishops  of  Scandinavia  the  new 
see  of  Garda,  the  chief  seat  of  the  Norse  settlements  in 
America,  was  founded.  Justly  appreciating  the  pre-emi- 
nent services  of  Eric  in  that  field,  they  elected  him,  as  the 
most  worthy  incumbent  for  the  new  episcopate,  the  first 
Bishop  of  America.  He  received  episcopal  consecration 
at  Lund,  in  Denmark,  from  the  hands  of  Archbishop  Ad-- 
zar,  in  1121. 

Thus  created  Bishop  of  Garda,  in  Greenland,  the 
whole  of  the  Norse  colonies  in  America  were  within  his 
jurisdiction,  including  the  Vinland  of  our  own  country. 
Ever  intent  on  the  spread  of  religion  and  the  organization 
of  the  Church  of  Vinland,  as  well  as  the  conversion  of 
the  savages  of  the  South,  he  lost  no  time  in  visiting  the 
new  colony  on  the  shores  of  Narragansett  Bay,  accom- 
panied by  a  band  of  zealous  missionaries  who  had  vol- 
unteered for  that  service,  and  by  a  colony  of  settlers. 
He  became  at  once  devoted  to  his  flock,  and  anxious  to 
make  every  sacrifice  for  it.  His  love  increased  with  his 
labors  and  successes,  and  he  resolved  never  to  be  sepa- 
rated from  his  Vinland  Church.  Greenland,  where  re- 
ligion was  already  well  established  and  flourishing,  could 
easily  be  provided  with  priests  and  bishop  ;  but  the  in- 
fant Church  of  Vinland  was  more  needy,  more  remote, 
and  more  uncertain  in  its  future.  How  could  he  abandon 
so  tender  a  plant,  which  he  had  himself  set  in  a  generous 
soil  ?  Laying  aside  the  mitre  and  crosier,  he  assumed 
2 


1 8  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

the  black  cassock  and  the  cross  of  the  humble  missionary, 
and  resigned  his  bishopric  ;  beautiful  example  of  heroic 
devotion — historic  proof  of  the  equal  vigor  and  perfec- 
tion of  the  Church  in  all  times — ever  One,  Holy,  Catho- 
lic, and  Apostolic ;  knowing  no  infancy  or  growth  within 
herself;  ever  ancient  and  ever  new;  and  needing  no  de- 
velopment of  time  to  produce  heroes  and  martyrs  in  her 
newest  acquisitions ! 

This  devoted  missionary  now  labored  in  the  ranks 
with  the  companions  whom  he  brought  out  with  him,  and 
dedicated  the  remainder  of  his  life  to  the  work  of  heaven 
on  earth.  It  was  not  only  the  Scandinavian  colonies  on 
the  banks  of  the  Narragansett  Bay  to  whom  he  devoted 
himself,  but  the  Indians  also  shared  his  generous  exer- 
tions. 

It  is  no  small  satisfaction  to  the  Catholic  of  America  to 
see  his  Church  trace  back  her  history  to  the  middle  ages, 
and  find  the  title  of  her  first  bishop  in  the  ages  of  faith  : 
ages  more  happy  than  our  own,  when,  among  Christians, 
altar  had  not  been  raised  up  against  altar ;  when  the  seam- 
less garment  of  Christ  had  not  been  torn  in  pieces  ;  when 
there  was  but  one  fold  and  one  shepherd.  There,  too,  in 
the  first  advent  of  the  faith  to  our  shores,  we  may  point  to 
our  first  of  bishops  as  our  first  of  martyrs  ;  for  though  the 
silence  of  ages  has  concealed  the  fate  of  Bishop  Eric  and 
his  companions,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that, 
following  their  zeal  and  charity  amid  the  dangers  of  sav- 
age war,  shipwreck,  and  famine,  they  welcomed  death 
in  the  glorious  pursuit. 

The  location  of  Vinland,  the  field  of  Bishop  Eric's  la- 
bors and  death,  has  been  fixed  by  modern  researches  at 
or  near  the  present  city  of  Newport ;  for  here  have  been 
found,  and  still  exist,  Scandinavian  ruins  bearing  unmis- 


Eric,  Bishop  of  Gar  da.  19 

takable  resemblance  to  the  relics  of  the  No.-thmen  in 
Greenland  and  Iceland,  and  wholly  unlike  any  known 
remains  of  Indian  workmanship.  In  the  Memoirs  of  the 
Royal  Society  of  Antiquarians  we  find  the  following  pas- 
sage on  this  subject : — "  The  ancient  tholus  in  Newport, 
the  erection  of  which  appears  to  be  coeval  with  the  time 
of  Bishop  Eric,  belonged  to  a  Scandinavian  church  or 
monastery,  where,  in  alternation  with  Latin  masses,  the 
old  Danish  tongue  was  heard  seven  hundred  years  ago." 
The  Northmen  and  their  missions  passed  away.  A 
delicate  thread  of  light,  far  back  in  remote  ages,  thus 
connects  the  Church  of  the  present  with  the  venerable 
past.  Centuries  of  religious  night  settled  upon  our  con- 
tinent, and  its  existence,  scarcely  known,  had  passed 
away  from  the  traditions  of  men. 

"  I  was  a  Viking  old ! 
My  deeds,  though  manifold, 
No  Skald  in  song  has  told, 
No  Saga  taught  thee  !"  * 

The  Providence  of  God,  however,  was  then  working 
out  designs  of  mercy  in  our  regard,  and  calling  into  ex- 
istence and  guiding  the  agencies  for  a  future  and  distant 
advance  of  Christianity  from  the  Eastern  to  the  Western 
Hemisphere, — a  glorious  advance  !  springing  wholly  from 
Catholic  and  religious  motives ;  a  consecration  of  will  and 
purpose  accepted  by  Heaven,  and  destined  to  restore  to 
the  Church  in  America  much  of  what  she  had  lost  in 
Europe. 

The  ancient  episcopal  city  of  Garcia  was  swept  away 

*  The  poet  Longfellow,  in  his  Skeleton  in  Armour,  from  which  the  above  poetical 
quotations  are  taken,  suggested  by  Scandinavian  relics  found  near  Newport,  Rhode 
Island,  has  celebnted  some  of  the  exploits  of  the  Northmen  on  the  high  seas  and  on 
our  continent. 


2O  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

by  the  elements.  The  shifting  of  the  Gulf  Stream,  uith 
its  genial  breezes,  has  left  that  bleak  coast  of  Greenland 
desolate.  But  the  site  of  Garda  has  been  identified  by 
modern  scientific  researches,  and  the  relics  of  the  North- 
men discovered  imbedded  in  the  sand.  But  let  us  pre- 
serve the  precious  tradition,  and  allot  a  place  in  our  annals 
for  the  story  of  the  first  of  American  Bishops.  Shall  the 
title  of  the  first  American  see  pass  away  into  perpetual 
oblivion  ?  Or  may  we  be  permitted  to  suggest,  with 
reverence,  that  the  title  of  Bishop  of  Garda  be  revived  in 
our  venerable  Hierarchy,  and  bestowed  upon  one  of  the 
Vicars  Apostolic  or  Bishops  in  partibus  hereafter  to  be 
created  in  the  growth  of  our  Church  ? 


Right  Rev.  Juan  Juarez,  O.  S.F.  2 1 


RIGHT   REV.   JUAN   JUAREZ,  O.S.F., 

First  Bishop  of  Florida,  A.D.  1526.* 

OUR  Western  Hemisphere,  under  the  benign  Provi- 
dence of  God,  was  awakened  from  the  long  night  of  reli- 
gious darkness  which  followed  the  transient  colonies  of 
the  Catholic  Northmen  from  Europe  in  the  tenth,  eleventh, 
and  twelfth  centuries,  by  an  enterprise  as  truly  Catholic 
and  religious,  and  by  a  hero  as  devout  a  son  of  the 
Church,  as  the  history  of  the  world  presents  to  our  ad- 
miration. There  is  nothing  in  the  visits  of  the  Northmen 
to  the  shores  of  New  England,  nor  in  the  brief  colony 
they  planted  on  the  shores  of  Narragansett  Bay, — events 
which  had  faded  from  the  records  of  the  race  in  the  fif- 
teenth century, — that  can  deprive  Columbus  of  tjie  glory 
of  having  discovered  America,  or  diminish  his  prestige ; 
much  less  detract  from  the  noble  and  truly  Catholic  mo- 
tives which  impelled  his  great  soul  to  the  magnificent 
work  of  opening  a  new  world  to  the  apostleship  of 
Christendom,  to  the  spiritual  conquest  of  Rome,  to  the 
promises  and  hopes  of  Heaven.  From  the  beginning  to 
the  end  of  voyages,  conducted  under  Catholic  auspices, 
the  missionary  accompanied  the  mariner ;  the  cross  went 
side  by  side  with  the  royal  banner.  Catholic  Europe 
soon  blazed  with  zeal  for  the  conversion  of  a  new  world 
to  the  faith.  The  rude  warfare  and  fierce  passions  of 


*  Authorities:  Hcrrcra's  Hist.  Gen.  de  las  India* ;  Torquemada's  Motiarquia 
Indiana  ;  Bancroft's  History  of  the  U.  S.;  History  of  the  Catholic  Missions,  by 
J.  G.  Shea ;  Narration  of  Alvar  JVuilft  Cafitza  de  Vaca,  translated  by  Bucking- 
hum  Smith. 


22  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

ambitious  and  covetous  warriors  and  adventurers,  let 
loose  upon  a  naked  and  barbarous  race,  in  a  country  of 
boundless  extent  and  fabled  treasures,  were  checked  by 
the  presence  of  the  men  of  God,  and  by  the  restraining 
and  ameliorating  influences  of  the  sacraments  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  That  Church  herself,  by  Pope  Paul 
III.,  raised  her  voice  in  behalf  of  the  aborigines,  protest- 
ing against  the  cruelties  inflicted  upon  them,  and  against 
their  reduction  to  slavery ;  and  declared  them  to  be  ra- 
tional beings,  entitled  to  liberty,  and  "  capable  of  the 
Christian  faith."*  The  solicitude  of  that  Church  for  the 
Indians,  her  love  for  their  souls,  her  charity,  zeal,  and 
tenderness  towards  them,  were  all  beautifully  illustrated 
for  sixty  years  in  the  life  and  character,  the  labors  and 
virtues  of  Las  Casas,  the  illustrious  Catholic  Bishop  of 
Chiapa.  Had  the  Indians  been  left  to  the  guidance  of 
the  missionaries ;  had  peace  among  themselves  been 
maintained  by  the  power  of  the  whites ;  had  not  the  voice 
of  discord  been  raised  among  Christians,  a  conquest  for 
Heaven,  instead  of  a  slaughter  of  three  centuries,  and  a 
home  for  the  white  man  built  over  the  graves  of  the  In- 
dians, would  have  been  among  the  fruits  of  the  splendid 
enterprise  and  Catholic  zeal  of  Columbus.  The  Chris- 
tian Republic  of  Paraguay;  the  edifying  commonwealth 
of  Huronia,  on  the  northern  lakes,  under  Brebeuf;  the 
Catholic  flock  of  Rale  in  Maine ;  the  flourishing  missions 
along  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  and  in  both  Califor- 
nias,  and  numerous  instances  among  the  Indians  of  sin- 
cere conversion  to  the  faith,  of  perfect  reform  of  life,  and 
even  of  heroic  martyrdom,  are  some  among  the  many 

*  Apostolic  Letter  of  Pope  Paul  III.,  A.D.  1527  ;  which  see  in  Torquemada's  Mo- 
narquia  Indiana,  and  Clavigero's  History  of  Mexico  t  and  a  translation  of  it  in 
McGee's  Catholic  History  of  America. 


Right  Rev.  Jiian  Juarez,  O.S.F.  23 

proofs  presented  by  our  Catholic  history  to  demonstrate 
the  practicability  of  redeeming  the  race  from  barbarism, 
and  of  gaining  them  permanently  to  Christianity  and  civ- 
ilization. A  religion  whose  priests  stopped  at  no  per- 
sonal sacrifice  in  order  to  do  good,  and  who  laid  down 
their  lives  for  the  conversion  of  the  pagans,  could  not, 
and  did  not  of  itself,  fail  to  gain  those  children  of  the 
Western  forests  and  prairies  to  the  Church  of  God. 

Well  may  we  point  with  pride  to  that  glorious  band  of 
missionaries,  confessors,  and  martyrs  who  illustrate  the 
Catholic  history  of  our  country.  Amongst  them  was  the 
subject  of  this  memoir,  Juan  Juarez,  Bishop  of  Rio  de  las 
Palmas,  in  Florida,  the  pioneer  Bishop  of  the  United 
States,  and  a  joyous  martyr  for  the  cause  of  God. 

Bishop  Juarez  was  a  native  of  Valentia,  Spain ;  he  was 
educated  there,  joined  the  Franciscans,  and  attached  him- 
self to  the  reformed  branch  of  that  order  in  the  province 
of  St.  Gabriel.  After  Cortes  had  completed  the  conquest 
of  Mexico,  he  began  to  give  his  special  attention  to  the 
religious  interests  and  welfare  of  the  empire  he  had 
added  to  the  dominions  of  Spain.  He  applied  for  mis 
sionaries  for  the  Mexican  Church,  and  his  petition,  sec 
onded  by  the  Pope  and  the  King  of  Spain,  was,  aftei 
some  delay,  granted.  Quinones,  General  of  the  Fran 
ciscans,  selected  twelve  of  his  Order  to  become  the  twelve 
apostles  of  Mexico,  in  1524,  at  the  head  of  whom  was 
the  venerable  Father  Martin  of  Valentia.  Six  of  these 
missionaries  were  selected  as  "learned  preachers,"  oi 
which  number  was  Father  Juan  Juarez,  and  he  was  named 
the  fourth  of  the  companions  of  Father  Martin.  They 
sailed  from  San  Lucar,  January  24,  1524,  and  arrived  at 
Vera  Cruz  on  the  I3th  of  May.  Cortes,  who  had  invited 
them  over,  received  them  with  profound  honor  and  dis- 


24  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

tinguished  veneration.  The  following  account  of  this 
event  is  from  a  note  in  Mr.  Buckingham  Smith's  Trans- 
lation of  Cabeza  de  Vacas  Relation : — 

"  The  respectful  reception  given  by  Cort6s  to  these 
holy  men  at  their  entrance  of  the  capital,  earned  their 
honest  encomiums.  Surrounded  by  his  cavaliers,  while 
he  spread  his  rich  mantle  for  the  chief  friar  to  walk  upon, 
on  bended  knees  he  kissed  the  hands  of  the  passing 
brothers.  The  humble  bearing  and  poor  covering  of  the 
mendicants  were  in  strange  contrast  to  the  gallant  de- 
portment and  gay  attire  of  the  knights ;  and  when  the 
Indians  saw  this  obeisance,  they  thought  a  race  had  ar- 
rived superior  to  their  turbulent  conquerors.  There 
were  not  wanting,  then,  those  to  tell  Cortes  that  he  had 
brought  into  the  country  an  element  of  his  ruin,  and  they 
forgot  not  to  remind  him  of  the  occasion  afterward. 
Torquemada  considers  the  act  to  have  been  the  greatest 
of  his  achievements  in  that  he  conquered  himself;  but  ad- 
mits  that  his  downfall  came  in  the  course  of  the  struggles 
made  necessary  for  preserving  the  rights  and  liberty  of 
the  natives,  which  followed  upon  his  own  misconduct." 

The  Franciscans  established  four  convents  of  their 
order  in  Mexico,  and  in  the  first  chapter  held  by  the  fa- 
thers after  their  settlement,  Father  Juarez  was  elected 
warden  of  the  Convent  of  Huexotzinco  or  Gaxalcingo,  now 
Huegocongo.  He  was  afterwards  appointed  visitor  of 
the  province.  He  was  a  devoted  friend  of  the  Indians, 
who,  under  the  mild  influence  of  the  Franciscans,  lived 
in  peace  and  harmony  with  the  Spaniards,  against  whose 
authority  they  did  not  rebel.  The  convent  under  Father 
Juarez  became  the  centre  of  Christian  faith  and  reform. 
The  Christian  natives  in  goodly  numbers  flocked  to  this 
shrine  for  instruction  and  the  sacraments.  The  large 


Right  Rev.  Juan  Juarez,  O.S.F.  25 

house  of  the  convent  was  crowded  with  children  and 
neophytes,  many  of  whom  edified  even  their  holy  pas- 
tors by  their  piety  and  faith.  Idolatry  disappeared  from 
their  midst,  and  they  heroically  assisted  in  destroying 
the  temples  of  the  former  idolatrous  worship. 

Father  Juarez  obtained  from  the  King  of  Spain  the  pro- 
tection of  the  crown  for  the  Indians,  and  a  decree  pro- 
hibiting their  enslavement,  and  requiring  the  Spaniards 
to  treat  them  humanely.  His  name  was  held  in  grateful 
remembrance  and  benediction  among  the  Indians  long 
after  his  death ;  and  they  treasured  "  the  memorials  of 
his  great  religion  and  piety."*  In  order  more  effectually 
to  promote  their  welfare  by  interesting  the  Government 
in  their  favor,  he  visited  Spain,  carrying  six  of  the  na- 
tives with  him,  three  of  whom  were  of  high  rank,  and 
three  of  lower  grade.  The  king  was  much  pleased  and 
interested  in  these  his  new  subjects  ;  he  ordered  them  to 
be  dressed  according  to  their  ranks.  But  the  climate  of 
Spain  did  not  agree  with  them,  and  he  humanely  sent 
them  back  to  Mexico.  The  king  also  gave  Father  Ju- 
arez a  considerable  donation  for  the  purchase  of  the 
vestments  and  church  service  necessary  for  the  Mission. 

Among  the  Spanish  explorers  and  adventurers  of  that 
age  was  Pamphilo  de  Narvaez,  who,  in  1527,  undertook 
and  commanded  an  expedition  for  the  conquest  of 
Florida,  in  hopes  of  repeating  the  success  and  renown  of 
Cortes.  Influenced  by  the  spirit  of  the  times,  he  and  his 
companions  dreamed  of  vast  conquests  and  boundless 
wealth,  and  felt  sure  of  securing  for  Spain  a  country  rival- 
ling Mexico  in  population  and  resources,  and  for  them- 
selves fame  and  fortune.  Spain,  too,  had  heroes  of 
higher  and  purer  aims,  who  coveted  conquests  and  trea- 

*  Torqucmada. 


26  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

sures  of  more  inestimable  price,  and  who,  despising  the 
wild  notions  of  their  countrymen  in  search  of  fountains  ot 
perpetual  youth,  advanced  with  courage  and  self-sacrifice 
greater  than  theirs,  in  order  to  bless  with  celestial  gifts  a 
perishing  race,  and  to  open  to  them  the  gushing  foun- 
tains of  eternal  life.  These  were  chiefly  the  religious 
orders  of  the  Church,  a  precious  inheritance  from  the 
middle  ages,  but  composed  of  men  animated  with  the 
same  spirit  and  faith,  wearing  the  same  dress  and  speak- 
ing the  same  language  in  all  ages  and  climes.  Scarcely 
had  Pamphilo  raised  his  standard  when  the  sons  of  St. 
Francis,  pressing  forward  for  the  conversion  of  the  natives 
of  the  new  realm,  unfurled  the  banner  of  the  cross.  Chief 
among  these  was  Father  Juan  Juarez,  already  celebrated 
as  an  apostle  of  Mexico.  He  was  accompanied  by  four 
other  Franciscans,  the  Cantador  Alfonso  Enriquez, 
Father  Asturiano,  the  lay  brother  Juan  de  Palos,  and  a 
fourth,  whose  name  is  not  mentioned  in  the  narra- 
tives of  the  day.  Other  priests  are  said  to  have  accom- 
panied the  expedition. 

The  king  was  so  sure  of  the  success  of  the  enterprise, 
that  he  proposed  to  have  an  Episcopal  See  erected  for 
the  new  country,  the  royal  grant  of  which  to  Narvaez 
extended  from  Rio  de  las  Palmas,  ninety  miles  north  of 
Panuco,  to  the  Atlantic  or  cape  of  Florida.  Father  Jua- 
rez was  accordingly  nominated  and  appointed  by  the 
Holy  See  first  Bishop  of  Rio  de  las  Palmas.  The  injunc- 
tions of  the  king  to  Bishop  Juarez  expressed  a  noble 
solicitude  for  the  protection  of  the  Indians,  and  required 
that  the  law  providing  that,  in  case  of  conflict,  a  sum- 
mons to  surrender  or  disperse  should  first  be  made 
before  a  resort  to  force  by  the  Spaniards,  should  be  en- 
forced ;  instructions  gladly  accepted  by  the  bishop,  and 


Right  Rev.  Juan  Juarez,  O.S.F.  27 

probably  first  suggested  by  that  tried  friend  of  the  Indians. 
In  his  ardent  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  his  new  flock,  and 
perhaps  with  the  design  of  escaping  the  honor  while 
seeking  the  labor,  he  did  not  wait  for  the  bulls  of  appoint- 
ment and  investiture,  but  hastened  to  embark  at  once  in 
Narvaez'  fleet  for  America.  He  secured,  however,  a  pro- 
vision for  the  erection  of  a  church  and  mission-house. 

The  Florida  fleet  sailed  from  San  Lucar,  June  17,  1527, 
suffered  long  delays  and  severe  hardships  and  losses  at 
San  Domingo,  Cuba,  and  at  sea,  and  arrived  off  the 
coast  of  Florida  on  Holy  Thursday,  April  14,  1528.  They 
landed  April  16,  and  performed  the  usual  ceremony  of 
taking  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name  of  the 
King  of  Spain,  while  the  prayers,  the  benedictions,  and 
holy  sacrifice  offered  by  the  fathers  consecrated  it  to  God. 
Bishop  Juarez,  throughout  the  expedition,  bore  the  title 
of  the  commissary,  a  title  indicative  of  the  office  he  held 
in  his  own  order ;  and  during  those  severe  struggles 
which  form  the  history  of  the  adventure,  was  a  faithful 
and  discreet  friend  and  counsellor  of  the  governor.  He 
accompanied  Narvaez  with  a  few  others  on  a  preliminary 
expedition  into  the  country,  spending  the  night  in  camp 
and  returning  to  the  coast  on  the  following  day.  He 
soon  formed  some  idea  of  the  religion  of  the  natives  from 
discovering  several  cases  containing  the  bodies  of  their 
dead,  which  were  wrapped  in  painted  deer-skins,  and  to 
which  a  superstitious  homage  was  paid  by  the  living. 
He  represented  the  matter  to  the  governor,  who,  at  his 
request,  caused  all  the  cases  to  be  burned,  as  an  expres- 
sion of  horror  at  their  idolatry.  Narvaez  was  greatly 
perplexed  in  adopting  a  line  of  action ;  if  he  left  his  ves- 
sels on  the  coast,  without  a  harbor,  and  advanced  into 
the  country  the  loss  of  his  ships  would  cut  off  all  means 


28  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

of  escape  in  case  of  disaster  in  the  inland  march ;  if  he 
remained  near  the  shore,  the  glorious  conquests  that 
allured  him  to  the  interior  would  be  lost:  he  summoned 
a  council,  composed  of  Bishop  Juarez  the  commissary, 
and  five  others,  and  requested  their  advice.  Various 
plans  were  presented,  principal  among  which  were 
those  of  Cabeza  de  Vaca,  the  treasurer,  and  of  Bishop 
Juarez.  The  former  proposed  to  re-embark  and  seek 
a  harbor  with  the  vessels;  the  latter  earnestly  op- 
posed a  re-embarkation,  after  the  many  disasters  and 
losses  of  men  and  vessels  they  had  sustained  since 
their  departure  from  Spain,  regarding  it  as  braving 
Providence ;  and  recommended  a  march  along  the  coast 
in  search  of  a  harbor  for  the  ships,  while  the  vessels 
should  take  a  like,  direction  off  the  coast,-  until  a  har- 
bor should  be  found  by  this  joint  movement.  A  ma- 
jority of  the  council  sided  with  the  bishop;  but  Narvaez 
would  not  follow  this  advice,  and  decided  to  abandon  the 
proposal  of  settling  a  colony  at  that  spot,  and  sent  the 
ships  and  colonists  in  search  of  another  settlement,  while 
he  and  his  main  body  advanced  into  the  interior.  Had 
he  followed  the  wise  counsels  of  the  bishop,  he  might 
have  been  spared  the  disaster  sustained  during  the  in- 
land march  in  the  loss  of  his  ships  and  colonists,  and  the 
means  of  escape  from  the  country  at  the  final  disaster 
would  have  been  preserved.  Having  given  his  orders 
for  a  muster  of  the  force,  it  was  found  to  consist  of  three 
hundred  persons,  including  the  governor,  the  bishop  and 
three  other  clergymen,  the  brother  Juan  de  Palos,  and  the 
officers,  making  forty  mounted  men.  On  the  third  day 
Bishop  Juarez  with  others  again  entreated  the  governor 
to  seek  first  a  harbor  for  his  vessels  from  the  dangers  of 
the  sea,  but  the  latter  rejected  the  advice  in  his  ardor  to 


Right  Rev.  Jiian  Juarez,  O.S.F.  29 

advance,  and  ordered  that  no  further  mention  be  made 
of  the  sea.  The  advancing1  column  marched  through  the 
country  in  quest  of  fabled  and  imaginary  realms  of  wealth 
and  grandeur;  their  fifteen  days'  rations  were  soon  con 
sumed ;  the  reticence  of  the  Indians  was  only  broken  to 
deceive  them  by  accounts  of  rich  and  populous  regions 
beyond  their  own  domains ;  they  suffered  greatly  for  want 
of  food,  finding  nothing  to  eat  but  palmitos  or  the  dwarf 
faji-palm,  for  a  considerable  time  before  finding  fields  of 
maize,  and  these  were  scarce  and  far  apart.  The  silent 
distrust  of  the  Indians  broke  out  in  open  hostilities.  They 
discharged  their  weapons  on  the  adventurers  from  am- 
bushes, and  the  first  victim  was  the  friend  and  companion 
of  Bishop  Juarez,  the  Mexican  prince  Don  Pedro,  Lord 
of  Tescuco,  who,  with  another  converted  Mexican  prince, 
had  accompanied  the  bishop  on  the  expedition.  Some- 
times the  Indians  extended  to  them  a  treacherous  hos- 
pitality, and  fell  upon  them  at  night  with  murderous  fury. 
Hunger,  sickness,  the  fatigues  of  the  journey  through 
dense  and  tangled  forests,  and  over  numerous  streams 
and  bays,  loaded  down  with  armor  and 'the  property  of 
the  expedition,  and  even  plots  amongst  some  of  their 
own  number,  constituted  the  varied  and  sad  experience 
of  the  company.  Their  ranks  were  decimated  by  disease, 
and  the  survivors  were  like  living  skeletons.  To  the 
bright  visions  of  conquest  and  treasure,  with  which  they 
commenced  the  march,  succeeded  the  only  thought  of 
escape  from  the  country.  Coming  upon  the  upper  waters 
of  Pensacola  Bay,  they  constructed  five  open  boats  as 
best  they  could,  and  reached  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Mobile  Bay.  But  here  perplexity 
and  disasters  awaited  them.  Narvaez  in  his  troubles 
freely  consulted  Bishop  Juarez,  in  whom  he  found  a  wise 


jo  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

and  candid  counsellor.  But  what  could  be  done  in  such 
disasters  and  destitution  ?  Death  from  starvation  awaited 
them  on  shore,  and  storms  and  shipwreck  threatened 
them  at  sea.  They  preferred  the  latter  risk,  with  a  faint 
hope  of  making  their  escape.  They  embarked  in  their 
frail  open  boats,  and  passed  for  some  distance  down  the 
coast,  in  the  midst  of  incessant  storms.  The  bishop  with 
his  companions,  numbering  forty-nine  persons,  embarked 
in  an  open  boat,  so  loaded  that  "not  over  a  span  of  the 
gunwales  remained  above  water."  In  all  their  efforts  to 
put  out  to  sea  they  were  driven  back  by  storms.  The 
boat  containing  the  bishop  and  his  companions  was  upset 
at  "the  confluence  of  the  rivers,"  and  he  and  his  crew 
were  only  saved  by  the  prompt  assistance  of  Narvaez. 
Every  boat  was  wrecked,  and  most  of  the  survivors 
drowned.  Narvaez,  having  saved  the  lives  of  the  bishop 
and  his  companions,  was  swallowed  up  some  days  after, 
with  his  crew,  in  the  gulf.  Those  who  escaped  were  des- 
titute of  clothing  and  of  food,  and  even  in  this  extremity 
were  attacked  by  the  Indians.  Bishop  Juarez,  Father 
Asturiano,  Brother  Juan  de  Palos,  and  about  forty  others 
from  the  same  boat  and  that  of  Cabeza  de  Vaca,  includ- 
ing that  officer  himself,  were  cast  upon  an  island,  which 
they  called  Malhado,  now  Dauphin  Island.  Four  only 
of  the  entire  expedition  under  Narvaez  reached  Mexico 
by  land,  after  incredible  hardships  and  sufferings.  A 
likeness  of  Bishop  Juarez,  from  the  original  portrait  of 
him  preserved  in  the  convent  of  Tlaltelalco,  in  Mexico,  is 
given  in  the  translation  of  the  relation  of  Cabeza  de  Vaca 
by  the  late  Buckingham  Smith,  recently  published. 

The  fate  of  Juarez  and  his  companions  must  have  been 
appalling.  Left  upon  a  desolate  shore,  naked  and  hun- 
gry, and  with  no  means  of  relief;  even  in  such  distress 


Right  Rev.  Juan  Jiiarez,  O.S.F.  31 

they  were  hunted  down  by  the  hostile  natives.  Those 
whom  the  storms  of  the  sea  or  the  savage  weapon 
did  not  destroy,  made  their  escape  to  the  forests  and 
marshes,  only  to  encounter  the  more  cruel  death  of  hun- 
ger. Thus  ended  this  ill-fated  effort  to  found  a  colony  in 
Florida,  and  to  establish  the  first  bishopric  within  the 
limits  of  our  Republic.  Thus  Bishop  Juarez,  on  the 
coast  of  Louisiana,  like  Bishop  Eric  on  the  coast  of  New 
England,  encountered  a  martyr's  death,  in  the  heroic 
effort  to  bestow  eternal  life  on  the  heathens.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  he  perished  of  hunger,  a  death  the  most  ex- 
cruciating ;  but  death  rendered  glorious  in  the  attempt  to 
replenish  others  with  the  bread  of  life. 

Well  has  an  ancient  chronicler*  of  this  glorious  event 
exclaimed  with  admiration,  that  God,  accepting  his  noble 
intention  and  holy  zeal  for  souls,  has  surely  rewarded 
his  hunger  unto  death  with  the  plenitude  of  heavenly 
gifts ;  and  expressed  with  David  the  pious  belief,  that  as 
God  has  promised  a  reward  in  Heaven  to  such  as  give 
their  lives  for  Him,  so  also  those  who  suffer  and  die 
of  hunger  for  His  sake,  He  will  satiate  with  celestial 
feasts  and  seraphic  delights. 

Esurientes  implevit  Bonis. 
*  Torquemada. 


32  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 


MOST  REV.  JOHN  CARROLL,  D.D., 

First  Archbishop  of  Baltimore.   A.D.  1790.* 

ARCHBISHOP  CARROLL,  in  an  historical  point  of  view, 
occupies  the  most  prominent  place,  both  in  time  and  in 
importance,  in  the  history  of  the  American  Catholic 
Hierarchy,  of  which  he  was  the  founder.  Illustrious  for 
the  exalted  position  he  occupied,  and  for  the  great  vir- 
tues of  his  life,  his  purity  of  character,  his  labors  and 
services  to  religion,  his  memory  is  cherished  with  un- 
diminished  veneration  by  the  whole  Catholic  Church 
of  the  United  States.  As  a  patriot  he  was  surpassed  by 
none  of  the  great  and  good  men  of  his  day  in  love  of 
country  and  devotion  to  well-regulated  liberty.  As  a 
citizen  his  public  virtues  were  formed  in  the  same  politi- 
cal school  with  those  of  Washington.  That  his  talents, 
capacity  for  affairs,  calm  dignity,  sincere  piety  and  zeal 
for  the  salvation  of  men,  eminently  fitted  him  for  his  high 
position,  is  not  only  evinced  by  the  voice  of  his  col- 
leagues in  the  sacred  ministry,  whose  choice  he  was  for  the 
episcopal  office,  but  also  by  the  testimony  of  history.  It 
was  a  beneficent  Providence  which,  at  such  a  crisis  in 
the  history  of  the  infant  Church  of  America,  bestowed 
upon  it  such  a  man  as  its  first  ruler  and  chief  pastor ; 

*  Authorities :  Memoirs  of  the  Life  and  Times  of  Archbishop  Carroll,  by  B.  U. 
Campbell ;  A  Brief  Account  of  the  Establishment  of  the  Episcopacy  in  the  United 
States,  by  the  Same ;  Biography  of  Archbishop  Carroll,  by  John  Carroll  Brent ; 
Pastoral  Letters ;  Rev.  Dr.  White's  Life  of  Mother  Seton  ;  Appendix  to  Darras' 
General  History  of  the  Catholic  Church,  by  Rev.  C.  I.  White,  D.D. ;  Memoir ; 
letters  and  Journal  of  Mrs.  Seton,  by  Right  Rev.  Robert  Seton,  D.D.,  etc..  etc. 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  33 

a  ruler  who  governed  as  a  Father  ;  a  pastor  who  became 
the  Patriarch  of  religion  in  his  country. 

John  Carroll  was  the  third  son  of  Daniel  Carroll  and 
Eleanor  Darnall,  and  was  born  at  Upper  Marlboro', 
Prince  George's  County,  Maryland,  January  8,  1735. 
His  father  emigrated  from  Ireland  while  yet  a  youth 
with  his  father,  the  grandfather  of  the  Archbishop,  in 
the  reign  of  James  II.  The  Archbishop's  grandfather 
was  secretary  to  Lord  Powis,  a  leading  minister  in  the 
cabinet  of  that  unfortunate  king.  It  is  related  that  Mr. 
Carroll  remarked  one  day  to  his  lordship  that  he  was 
happy  to  find  that  public  affairs  and  his  majesty's  ser- 
vice were  proceeding  so  prosperously ;  to  which  Lord 
Powis  replied :  "  You  are  quite  in  the'wrong ;  affairs  are 
going  on  very  badly  ;  the  king  is  very  ill  advised  ;"  and, 
after  pausing  a  few  moments,  his  lordship  thus  addressed 
his  secretary :  "  Young  man,  I  have  a  regard  for  you, 
and  would  be  glad  to  do  you  a  service.  Take  my  ad- 
vice— great  changes  are  at  hand — go  out  to  Maryland.  I 
will  speak  to  Lord  Baltimore  in  your  favor."  Mr.  Car- 
roll followed  the  advice  of  his  noble  friend ;  obtained 
government  employment  in  Maryland,  with  liberal  grants 
of  land,  engaged  also  in  commercial  pursuits  at  Upper 
Marlboro',  and  left  his  family  quite  independent.  He 
died  in  1765. 

Eleanor  Darnall,  the  mother  of  the  Archbishop,  was 
a  native  of  Maryland,  and  a  daughter  of  Henry  Darnall, 
a  wealthy  Catholic  gentleman  of  the  province,  and  a 
large  landed  proprietor,  whose  family  seat  was  at 
"  Woodyard,"  in  Prince  George's  County.  She  was 
educated  with  great  care  in  a  select  school  at  Paris,  and 
was  greatly  admired  for  her  amiability,  her  profound 
piety,  her  varied  and  elegant  accomplishments.  The 
3 


34  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

virtues  of  the  mother  were  deeply  impressed  upon  the 
character  of  the  son,  and  gave  a  charm  to  his  long  and 
useful  life. 

These  pious  parents,  like  all  others  at  that  time  in 
Maryland,  encountered  great  obstacles  in  the  proper 
education  of  their  son.  Catholics,  whom  persecution 
had  driven  from  England  and  Ireland,  encountered,  after 
the  Puritan  revolution  in  1689,  even  in  Catholic  Mary- 
land, founded  by  themselves  as  a  refuge,  the  cruel  tyran- 
ny of  persecution  for  conscience'  sake.  Catholic  school- 
masters were  followed  up  by  the  officers  of  the  law,  and 
Catholic  parents  were  prohibited  from  educating  their 
children  in  the  faith  of  their  ancestors.  But  the  learned 
and  zealous  Jesuit'  missionaries  in  the  province  had  estab- 
lished at  Bohemia,  a  remote  and  secluded  spot  on  the 
Eastern  Shore,  a  grammar  school,  where,  without  ob- 
servation or  molestation,  the  Catholic  youths  of  the  prov- 
ince received  a  preparatory  training  for  the  European 
colleges.  'Here  the  youthful  Carroll,  with  his  illustrious 
cousin,  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  and  his  relative, 
Robert  Brent,  entered  on  their  preparatory  studies. 
Among  the  professors  and  conductors  of  the  school  were 
Fathers  Hudson  and  Matthias  Manners,  and  the  venera- 
able  Father  Ferdinand  Farmer. 

After  a  year  spent  in  the  classes  at  Bohemia,  these 
three  young  students  were  sent  to  Europe,  and  placed 
at  the  Jesuit  College  of  St.  Omer's,  in  French  Flanders. 
During  the  six  years  of  his  collegiate  life  at  St.  Omer's 
John  Carroll  was  distinguished,  as  he  had  been  at  Bo- 
hemia, for  his  piety,  good  example,  close  application  to 
study,  ready  and  brilliant  talents,  and  for  his  gentle  and 
amiable  deportment.  The  fine  influences  of  his  child- 
hood's home,  the  exalted  examples  of  the  Jesuit  Fathers 


Most  Rev.  John   Carroll,  D.D.  35 

of  Maryland  and  St.  Omer's,  and  the  pure  and  grace 
directed  aspirations  of  his  own  soul,  led  him  at  an  early 
age  to  dedicate  his  life  to  God.  It  was  this  inspiring 
thought  which  cast  a  glow  of  holiness  around  him  dur- 
ing these  years  of  study.  In  1753  he  entered  the  novi- 
tiate of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  and,  in  1755  was  removed 
to  Li(?ge,  to  make  his  course  of  philosophy  and  divinity. 
In  preparing  for  the  holy  priesthood,  he  exhibited  more 
than  his  usual  zeal  and  studious  application.  In  1759, 
being  then  in  his  twenty-fifth  year,  after  having  spent 
eleven  years  in  storing  his  mind  with  every  species  of 
sacred  and  profane  learning  in  those  distinguished  insti- 
tutions, he  was  ordained  in  the  sacred  ministry.  In 
the  true  spirit  of  the  gospel,  he  gave  up  his  patri- 
mony and  all  his  worldly  possessions  to  his  brother 
and  sisters  in  America,  and  in  poverty  took  up  'his 
cross  to  follow  Christ.  After  serving  as  professor  at 
St.  Omer's  and  at  Liege,  where  he  filled  the  chair  of 
philosophy,  he  was  received  as  a  professed  Father  in  the 
Society  of  Jesus,  in  1771.  In  1772  and  part  of  1773  he  made 
the  tour  of  Europe,  as  tutor  to  the  son  of  Lord  Stour- 
ton,  an  English  Catholic  nobleman  of  piety  and  distinc- 
tion. Their  route  led  them  through  fields  of  cultivation, 
industry,  peace,  and  plenty,  now  changed  unhappily  into 
fields  of  battle,  desolation,  blood,  and  death  :  to  Alsace, 
then  across  the  Rhine  at  Strasburg  to  Cologne  ;  then 
returning  to  Manheim,  they  visited  Bavaria  and  the 
Tyrol.  They  next  passed  through  the  city  of  Trent,  en- 
tered Italy  by  the  river  Adage,  and  visited  Venice, 
Mantua,  Modena,  Bologna,  and  finally  Rome.  The  au- 
tumn was  spent  at  Naples,  the  winter  and  part  of  the 
spring  at  Rome,  and,  on  the  homeward  route,  they 
passed  through  Florence,  Genoa,  Tunis,  Lyons,  and  Paris. 


36  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

Father  Carroll's  journal  is  full  of  valuable  observations  on 
the  countries  he  traversed,  the  cities  he  visited,  the  man- 
ners, customs,  and  condition  of  the  people,  as  well  as  on 
commerce,  manufactures,  the  fine  arts,  and  religion.  Alas  ! 
what  terrific  revolutions  have  swept  over  those  fin£ 
countries  since  then !  What  changes  a  century,  nay,  a 
year  has  wrought !  Then  there  were  Catholic  govern- 
ments ruling  over  Catholic  peoples  ;  -now,  alas  !  there 
are  no  Catholic  governments,  and  religion  is  discarded 
by  States  and  ministers,  and  institutions  of  learning 
seized  and  their  inmates  expelled,  shrines  desecrated, 
ministers  of  religion  persecuted,  consecrated  recluses  driv 
en  from  their  homes  and  altars.  The  Vicars  of  Christ 
have  several  times  during  that  century  been  exiles,  wan- 
derers, and  prisoners ;  and  in  our  day  we  behold  the 
Church  despoiled,  the  Capital  of  Christendom  occupied 
by  force  and  given  over  to  licentiousness,  and  the  il- 
lustrious and  saintly  successor  of  St.  Peter  a  prisoner, 
nay,  worse  than  a  prisoner,  in  the  City  of  Pontiffs. 

In  1773  Father  Carroll  was  appointed  prefect  at 
Bruges,  whither  the  Jesuit  Fathers,  after  their  expulsion 
from  St.  Omer's  and  Watten,  and  the  confiscation  of  their 
property  by  the  orders  of  the  Parliament  of  Paris,  had 
removed  their  college.  While  he  was  pursuing  a  life  of 
study  and  religious  meditation  at  Bruges,  the  Society  of 
Jesus,  to  which  he  was  most  affectionately  attached,  was 
suppressed  by  the  brief  of  Pope  Clement  XIV.,  dated 
July  21,  1773,  and  published  on  the  i6th  of  August. 
This  blow  fell  upon  the  community  at  Bruges  in  Septem- 
ber, and  plunged  in  profound  grief  the  members  of.  that 
illustrious  order,  which  Father  Carroll  regarded  as  "the 
first  of  all  ecclesiastical  bodies."  *  In  common  with  his 

*  Letter  to  his  brother. 


Most  Rev.  John   Carroll,  D.D.  37 

companions  of  the  Society,  he  yielded,  with  humility  and 
obedience,  to  the  mandate  of  the  supreme  head  of  the 
Church.  In  a  letter  to  his  brother,  Daniel  Carroll,  after 
expressing  his  grief  at  the  suppression  of  his  order,  he 
generously  and  piously  exclaimed  :  "  God's  holy  will  be 
done,  and  may  His  holy  Name  be  blessed  forever  and 
ever !  " 

The  Jesuit  institutions  were  given  up  by  most  of  the 
governments  of  Europe  to  plunder,  desecration,  and 
every  kind  of  vandalism.  Bruges  was  pillaged  by  the 
Austrian  government.  Li£ge  was  deprived  of  its  in- 
come, and  its  inmates  were  expelled  from  the  home 
which  they  had  made  the  seat  of  learning  and  religion. 
The  English  Jesuits  of  Flanders  retired  to  England, 
whither  Father  Carroll  accompanied  them,  acted  as  the 
secretary  in  their  meetings,  and,  in  fact,  conducted  the 
important  correspondence  with  the  French  government 
with  regard  to  the  property  of  the  suppressed  Society  in 
France.  While  thus  engaged  in  England,  he  received 
the  appointment  of  chaplain  to  Lord  Arundel,  and  took 
up  his  residence  at  Wardour  Castle,  one  of  the  most 
splendid  and  noble  seats  in  England.  But  the  charms 
of  Wardour  Castle  did  not  withdraw  the  attention  of  this 
holy  priest  from  the  laborious  and  self-sacrificing  duties 
of  his  sacred  calling,  which  he  continued  zealously  to 
perform,  whenever  an  opportunity  for  doing  good  was 
within  his  reach.  He  had  for  some  time  cherished  the 
intention  of  returning  to  Maryland,  and  circumstances  of 
an  exciting  and  important  nature  now  hastened  its  exe- 
cution. 

The  controversy  between  England  and  her  American 
colonies  was  fast  hastening  to  a  crisis.  Father  Carroll, 
though  surrounded  by  English  society  and  its  influences, 


38  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

at  once  espoused  the  cause  of  his  country.  Bidding 
adieu  to  his  beloved  companions  of  the  late  Society  of 
Jesus,  and  to  his  noble  and  generous  friends  at  Wardour 
Castle,  he  sailed  from  England  and  reached  his  native 
land  June  26,  1774.  He  at  once  obeyed  the  first  natural 
and  dutiful  impulse  of  his  heart,  by  visiting  his  venerable 
and  excellent  mother  and  devoted  sisters ;  with  the 
former  of  whom  he  took  up  his  residence  near  Rock 
Creek,  in  Montgomery  County,  Maryland.  Here  a 
room  in  the  family  dwelling  at  first,  and  subsequently  a 
wooden  chapel  erected  on  the  family  estate,  were  the 
scenes  of  this  worthy  priest's  ministry.  The  chapel 
erected  by  Father  Carroll  has,  within  recent  years,  been 
replaced  by  a  neat  church,  which  still  bears  the  venerable 
name  of  "  Carroll's  Chapel." 

The  laws  of  Maryland  for  a  century  had  been  so  in- 
tolerant to  Catholics,  that,  although  the  discussions  and 
agitations  on  the  subject  of  free  government  preceding 
the  Revolution  had,  about  the  year  1770,  produced  a 
more"  liberal  sentiment  in  this  regard,  yet  at  the  time  of 
Father  Carroll's  arrival  in  America  there  was  not  a  sin- 
gle public  place  of  Catholic  worship  in  Maryland ;  old 
St.  Peter's,  at  Baltimore,  had  been  closed  before  its  com- 
pletion, and  so  remained  for  several  years.  The  chapels 
on  the  Jesuit  farms,  and  a  few  private  chapels  or  orato- 
ries, were  the  only  places  of  worship  possessed  by  the 
Catholics  of  the  province.  The  number  of  Catholic 
clergymen  in  Maryland,  at  that  time,  was  nineteen,  all 
ex-Jesuits,  whose  names,  as  given  by  Campbell,*  were 
as  follows :  "  Rev.  George  Hunter,  an  Englishman,  Vi- 
car-General of  the  Vicar  Apostolic  (Bishop)  of  London, 
was  superior  of  the  clergy  in  Maryland  and  Pennsyl- 

*  Memoirs  of  the  Life  and  Times  of  Archbishop  Carroll. 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  3Q 

vania.  He  resided  near  Port  Tobacco,  in  Charles 
County,  upon  a  beautiful  and  productive  estate  still 
known  as  St.  Thomas'  Manor.  With  him  resided  the 
Rev.  John  Bolton,  also  a  native  of  England;  Rev.  Lewis 
Roels,  a  Belgian,  and  Revs.  Charles  Sewall,  Benedict 
Neale,  and  Sylvester  Boarman,  natives  of  Maryland ; 
Revs.  John  Lucas  and  Joseph  Doyne  occupied  the  an- 
cient establishment  of  Inigoe's  Manor,  on  the  St.  Mary's 
River,  near  the  spot  chosen  by  the  first  settlers  of  Mary- 
land for  the  City  of  St.  Mary's.  In  Prince  George's 
County,  the  Rev.  John  Ashton  was  stationed  at  the 
Jesuits'  farm  called  '  White  Marsh/  and  Rev.  Bernard 
Diderick ;  at  Boone's  Chapel,  Revs.  John  Boone  and 
Thomas  Diggs,  natives  of  Maryland ;  the  latter,  who 
was  then  advanced  in  years  and  infirm,  resided  with  an 
aged  sister  on  the  family  estate,  Melwood.  Rev.  Joseph 
Mosely,  at  Deer's  Creek,  in  Harford  County ;  Rev. 
James  Framback,  at  Fredericktown,  and  Rev.  Peter 
Morris  resided  on  Bohemia  Manor,  in  Cecil  County,  on 
the  Eastern  Shore  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay.  In  Pennsyl- 
vania there  were  then  three  priests,  viz. :  Rev.  Ferdi- 
nand Farmer,  at  Philadelphia ;  Rev.  Matthias  Manners, 
at  Goshenhoppen,  about  forty-five  miles  distant,  and 
Rev.  James  Pellentz  resided  near  the  stream  called  Con- 
ewago,  in  Adams  County."  These  reverened  gentle- 
men, having  been  members  of  the  suppressed  Order  of 
Jesuits,  were  supported  from  the  revenues  of  the  Jesuit 
estates,  which,  fortunately,  could  not  be  confiscated  in 
America,  as  they  had  been  even  in  the  Catholic  coun- 
tries of  Europe.  They  had  also  formed  among  them- 
selves a  temporary  or  provisional  organization,  with  a 
Superior,  who  was  clothed  with  the  power  of  appoint- 
ing the  members  of  the  associated  clergy  to  the  differ- 


4O  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

ent  stations  within  the  provinces  of  Maryland  and  Penn- 
sylvania, in  the  latter  of  which  provinces  a  greater  share 
of  religious  liberty  had  always  been  enjoyed  than  even 
in  Maryland  since  the  Protestant  ascendency.  Father 
Carroll  always  maintained  the  most  affectionate  relations 
with  his  brethren ;  but  he  did  not  enter  into  this  associa- 
tion of  the  clergy,  because  he  had  selected  a  particular 
missionary  field  for  himself,  where  much  good  was  to  be 
done,  and  where,  at  the  same  time,  he  could  remain  with 
his  aged  and  pious  mother,  in  order  to  console  and  bless 
with  the  sacred  offices  of  religion  her  declining  years. 
He  felt  the  less  reluctance  in  devoting  himself  thus  to  a 
particular  mission,  since  he  could  not  have  gained  the 
merit  of  religious  obedience  in  the  association  of  the 
clergy.  He  relinquished  every  claim  to  a  share  in  the 
joint  revenue  of  the  Maryland  clergy,  though  not  in  the 
enjoyment  of  easy  circumstances  himself.  His  mission- 
ary labors  were  chiefly  performed  at  Rock  Creek  and  in 
the  neighboring  country,  about  ten  miles  from  the  pres- 
ent seat  of  government  at  Washington,  where  there 
were  many  Catholic  families.  He  traveled  always  on 
horseback,  making  long  and  frequent  journeys  to  distant 
Catholic  families  and  settlements,  riding  frequently  thirty 
miles  or  more  on  sick  calls,  and  paying  monthly  visits  to 
a  small  congregation  of  Catholics  at  Aquia  Creek,  in  Staf- 
ford County,  Virginia,  which  was  fifty  or  sixty  miles  dis- 
tant from  Rock  Creek. 

This  settlement  of  Catholics  in  Stafford  County,  Vir- 
ginia, deserves  something  more  than  a  passing  notice. 
Capt.  George  Brent  and  others  had  emigrated  from  Eng- 
land to  that  obscure  retreat  nearly  a  century  before, 
bearing  a  grant  under  the  royal  signet  of  James  II.,  by 
which  themselves  and  their  posterity  forever  should  en- 


Most  Rev.   John  Carroll,  D.D.  41 

joy  the  right  freely  and  without  molestation  to  practise 
their  religion  in  Virginia,  where  the  exclusive  practice  of 
the  religion  of  the  Church  of  England  was  established 
by  law.  Two  of  Capt.  Brent's  descendants  were  mar- 
ried to  Anne  and  Eleanor  Carroll,  sisters  of  Father  Car- 
roll, at  the  time  of  the  missionary  visits  of  the  latter  to 
Stafford.  The  document  alluded  to  redeems  the  soil  of 
colonial  Virginia  from  the  taint  of  universal  intolerance, 
and  is  too  interesting  to  be  omitted  ;  it  is  as  follows  : — 

"  JAMES  R. 

"  Right  trusty  and  wellbeloved,  We  greet  you  well,  Whereas  our  trusty 
and  wellbeloved  George  Brent,  of  Woodstock,  in  our  County  of  Stafford, 
in  that  our  Collony  of  Virginia,  Richard  Foote  and  Robert  Bristow  of 
London  Merchants  &  Nicholas  Hayward  of  London  Notary  Public, 
have  by  their  Humble  Petition  informed  us,  That  they  have  purchased 
of  our  Right  Trusty  and  Wellbeloved  Thomas  Lord  Culpeper  a  certain 
tract  of  Land  in  our  said  Collony,  between  the  Rivers  of  Rappahannock 
and  Potomack,  containing  of  estimation  thirty  thousand  acres  lying  in 
or  near  our  said  County  of  Stafford,  some  miles  distant  from  any  present 
Settlement  or  Inhabitants  &  at  or  about  twenty  miles  from  the  foot  of  the 
mountains,  upon  part  of  which  Tract  of  Land  the  Pet'rs  have  projected 
and  doo  speedily  designe  to  build  a  towne  with  convenient  fortifications, 
and  doo  therefore  pray  That  for  the  encouragement  of  Inhabitants  to  set- 
tle in  the  said  Towne  and  plantation  wee  would  be  pleased  to  grant  them 
the  free  exercise  of  their  Religion,  wee  have  thought  fitt  to  condescend 
to  their  humble  Request,  and  wee  doo  accordingly  give  and  grant  to  the 
Pet'rs  and  to  all  and  every  the  Inhabitants  which  now  are  or  hereafter 
shall  be  settled  in  the  said  Towne  and  the  Tract  of  Land  belonging  to 
them  as  is  above  mentioned,  the  free  exercise  of  their  Religion  without 
being  persecuted  or  molested  upon  any  penall  laws  or  other  account  for 
the  same,  which  wee  do  hereby  signifie  unto  you  to  the  end  you  may 
take  care  and  give  such  orders  as  shall  be  requisite — That  they  enjoy 
the  full  benefit  of  these  our  gracious  Intentions  to  them,  Provided  they 
behave  themselves  in  all  civill  matters  so  as  becomes  peaceable  and 
Loyall  subjects,  and  for  so  doing  this  shall  be  your  warrant,  and  so  we 
bid  you  heartely  farewell. 


42  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

"  Given  at  our  Court  at  Whitehall  the  loth  day  of  Feb'y  1686 /in  the 
third  year  of  our  Reign.  /7 

"By  his  Maj'ties  Commands, 

[Royal  Signet]  "'SUNDERLAND. 

"  To  our  Right  Trusty  and  Wellbeloved  Francis  Lord  Howard  of  Ef- 
fingham  our  Lieutenant  &  Governor  General  of  our  Collony  and 
Dominions  of  Virginia  in  America,  and  to  our  chiefe  'Governor  or 
Governors  there  for  the  time  being." 

This  Catholic  settlement  is  supposed  to  be  near  the 
spot  where  Father  Altham  first  announced  the  gospel  to 
the  Indians  on  the  Potomac  in  1634.  From  1687  to  the 
time  of  Father  Carroll's  visits,  the  Woodstock  or  Aquia 
Creek  Catholics  had  rigidly  and  zealously  adhered  to  their 
religion  in  the  midst  of  difficulties  and  perils,  from  which 
the  patent  of  James  II.  did  not  protect  them.  They  were 
occasionally  visited  by  the  Rev.  Father  Hunter  and  other 
priests  from  Maryland,  who  were  obliged  to  disguise 
their  priestly  character  whenever  they  crossed  the  Poto- 
mac. They  and  a  few  other  Catholics  scattered  through 
Virginia  were  also  attended  from  time  to  time  by  the 
good  and  indefatigable  Father  Framback,  who  had  to 
exercise  the  greatest  caution  to  avoid  detection  and  cap- 
tivity. He  slept  generally  on  the  saddle  beside  his 
horse,  in  order  to  be  prepared  for  a  sudden  flight ;  and 
on  one  occasion  he  barely  escaped  with  his  life,  by  the 
fleetness  of  his  horse  in  carrying  him  safely  through  the 
waters  of  the  Potomac,  while  he  was  fired  upon  by  his 
pursuers  before  he  had  reached  the  Maryland  side  of  the 
river.  After  about  eighteen  months  thus  spent  in  the 
active  duties  of  the  holy  ministry,  with  great  zeal,  labor, 
and  success,  the  call  of  his  country  summoned  Father 
Carroll  to  her  service,  and  we  shall  see  him  for  a  time 
taking  a  part  in  other  and  more  public  scenes. 

Open  war  now  raged  between  England  and  her  thir- 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  43 

teen  Colonies.  The  hopes  of  a  settlement  which  many 
of  our  patriots  and  statesmen  had  cherished  were  grow- 
ing fainter  every  day,  and  the  public  mind  was  becoming 
more  and  more  familiarized  with  what  at  first  was  a 
startling  thought,  Independence.  To  guard  against  in- 
vasion from  the  Canadas,  and  to  secure,  perhaps,  the 
active  co-operation  of  the  Canadians  in  the  struggle,  or 
at  least  to  secure  their  neutrality,  became  objects  of  the 
greatest  importance  to  the  struggling  colonies.  To  gain 
these  ends,  Congress  had  provided  for  the  establishment 
of  a  printing-press  at  Montreal,  and  had  sent  a  person 
thither  to  conduct  it ;  the  object  was  to  explain  the  aims 
and  purposes  of  Congress  in  the  contest,  and  "  to  make 
frequent  publication  of  such  pieces  as  may  be  of  service 
to  the  cause  of  the  United  Colonies."  It  was  also  re- 
solved to  send  an  embassy  to  Canada  for  similar  objects; 
and  accordingly,  on  February  15,  1776,  Congress  ap- 
pointed Dr.  Franklin,  Samuel  Chase,  and  Charles  Car- 
roll of  Carrollton,  Commissioners,  with  instructions  to 
proceed  to  Montreal,  and  use  every  effort  of  argument, 
persuasion,  and  promises  of  mutual  protection  and  de- 
fence, in  order  to  induce  the  Canadians  either  to  join  the 
Colonies  in  the  struggle,  or  at  least  to  remain  neutral. 
In  the  resolution  of  Congress  appointing  the  Commis- 
sioners, Mr.  Charles  Carroll  was  requested  to  prevail  on 
Rev.  John  Carroll  to  accompany  them  to  Canada,  in 
order  to  facilitate  the  negotiations  by  conciliating  the 
Canadian  clergy,  who  were  understood  to  be  indisposed 
to  advise  the  Canadians  to  take  any  part  in  the  troubles 
of  the  times  ;  "  it  being  supposed  that  from  his  religious 
sentiments,  character,  and  knowledge  of  the  French  lan- 
guage, his  presence  and  counsels  might  be  useful  in  pro- 
moting the  objects  of  the  mission  with  the  Canadians."* 

*  Sparks. 


44  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

Mr.  Brent,  in  his  biography  of  the  Archbishop,  says : 
"  To  the  request  of  Congress  Mr.  Carroll  acceded  with 
the  view,  so  far  as  he  was  to  have  an  agency,  to  induce 
the  inhabitants  of  that  country  who  professed  the  same 
religion  with  himself  to  remain  neutral,  and  to  refrain 
from  taking  up  arms  on  the  side  of  Great  Britain ;  further 
than  this,  he  deemed  it  incompatible  with  his  character  as 
a  minister  of  religion  to  interfere."  All  the  preparations 
for  the  journey  having  been  completed,  Mr.  Carroll 
joined  the  Commissioners  at  Philadelphia,  and  with  great 
cheerfulness  set  out  on  his  mission  of  peace. 

The  rapid  and  luxurious  traveling  accommodations  of 
our  day  are  in  strange  contrast  with  the  hardships,  ex- 
posures, privations,  and  dangers  which  attended  a  trip 
from  Philadelphia  to  Montreal  in  1776.  The  four  patriots 
proceeded  from  Philadelphia  to  New  York,  and  sailed 
from  the  latter  place  on  the  2d  of  April.  After  long  de- 
lays, exposures,  and  unusual  difficulties,  which,  however, 
did  not  dampen  the  cheerful  spirits  of  the  travelers,  nor 
check  the  ever-ready  and  entertaining  wit  of  Dr.  Frank- 
lin, they  reached  Montreal  on  the  night  of  the  2Qth  of 
April.*  While  the  Commissioners  were  negotiating  with 
the  authorities,  regulating  the  affairs  of  the  Continental 
army  then  in  Canada,  and  generally  carrying  out  the  in- 
structions of  Congress,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Carroll  was  visiting 
the  Canadian  clergy,  explaining  the  nature  and  princi- 
ples of  the  revolutionary  struggle,  pointing  out  the  iden- 
tity of  destiny  and  interest  which  ought  to  unite  Canada 
to  the  English  Colonies,  and  in  answering  objections,  re- 
moving prejudices  of  race,  and  appealing  to  their  love  of 
liberty.  He  was  treated  with  respect  and  listened  to 
with  polite  attention.  But  both  the  Commissioners  and 

*  See  the  published  Journal  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton, 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  45 

Father  Carroll  received  the  same  answer  from  the  Cana- 
dians ; — that  for  themselves  they  had  no  cause  of  com- 
plaint against  the  home  government  of  Great  Britain, 
which  had  guaranteed  to  them  the  free  and  full  exercise 
of  their  religion,  liberty,  and  property,  and  that  in  return 
the  duty  of  allegiance  and  fidelity  was  due  from  the  Ca- 
nadians to  the  government. 

There  were  other  causes,  however,  which  contributed 
greatly  to  the  unsuccessful  issue  of  the  mission  of  the 
American  Commissioners.  The  Provincial  Congress, 
which  sat  at  Boston  in  1773,  had  publicly  used  the 
following  unjust  and  gratuitous  language  in  one  of 
their  addresses  : — "  The  late  act,  establishing  the  Ca- 
tholic religion  in  Canada,  is  dangerous  in  an  extreme 
degree  to  the  Protestant  religion,  and  to  the  civil  rights 
and  liberties  of  America."  Several  of  the  other  colonies, 
including  Maryland,  had  used  similar  language  in  com- 
municating their  complaints  of  grievances  to  the  mother- 
country.  Still  more  uncalled-for  and  unauthorized  was 
the  language  of  an  Address  to  the  People  of  Great  Brit- 
ain, adopted  by  Congress  October  21,  1774,  used  in  ref- 
erence to  the  same  act,  commonly  called  the  "  Quebec 
Act,"  a  law  which  established  no  State  Church,  but 
simply  guaranteed  to  Catholics  in  Canada  the  free  exer- 
cise of  their  religion  and  the  rights  of  conscience.  The 
obnoxious  language  of  Congress  was  as  follows  : — "  Nor 
can  we  suppress  our  astonishment  that  a  British  Parlia- 
ment should  ever  consent  to  establish  in  that  country  a 
religion  that  has  deluged  your  island  in  blood,  and  dis- 
persed impiety,  bigotry,  persecution,  murder,  and  rebel- 
lion throughout  every  part  of  the  world." — "  That  we 
think  the  legislature  of  Great  Britain  is  not  authorized  by 
the  Constitution  to  establish  a  religion  fraught  with  such 


46  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

sanguinary  tenets,"  etc.  Such  language,  thoughtlessly, 
but  none  the  less  unfortunately  and  culpably,  used  in  the 
excitement  of  the  struggle,  was  naturally  recalled  by  the 
Canadians  on  this  occasion.  It  was  in  vain  that  the 
Commissioners  appealed  to  the  language  made  use  of  by 
the  Convention  of  1774,  in  their  address  to  the  public,  in 
which  they  said : — "  As  an  opposition  to  the  settled  plan 
of  the  British  administration  to  enslave  America  will  be 
strengthened  by  a  union  of  all  ranks  of  men  within  this 
province,  we  do  most  earnestly  recommend  that  all  for- 
mer differences  about  religion  or  politics,  and  all  private 
animosities  and  quarrels  of  every  kind,  from  henceforth 
cease,  and  be  forever  buried  in  oblivion ;  and  we  entreat, 
we  conjure  every  man  by  his  duty  to  God,  his  country, 
and  his  posterity,  cordially  to  unite  in  defence  of  our 
common  rights  and  liberties."  It  was  in  vain  that  they 
quoted  the  language  of  the  "  Address  to  the  Inhabitants 
of  the  Province  of  Quebec,"  now  presented  by  the  Com- 
missioners. This  last  address,  which  expressed,  doubt- 
lessly, the  more  matured  and  accurate  sentiments  of 
Congress  and  the  country,  contained  the  following  far 
different  language  on  the  subject  of  the  religion  of  the 
Canadians,  a  subject,  however,  which  all  congresses 
would  do  much  better  by  leaving  to  the  Church  and  the 
people  : — "  We  are  too  well  acquainted  with  the  liberal- 
ity of  sentiment  distinguishing  your  nation  to  imagine 
that  difference  of  religion  will  prejudice  you  against  a 
hearty  alliance  with  us.  You  know  that  the  transcend- 
ent nature  of  freedom  elevates  those  who  unite  in  her 
cause  above  all  such  low-minded  infirmities.  The  Swiss 
Cantons  furnish  a  memorable  proof  of  this  truth.  Their 
union  is  composed  of  Romdn  Catholic  and  Protestant 
States,  living  in  the  utmost  concord  and  peace  with  one 


Most  Rev.  John   Carroll,  D.D.  47 

another,  and  thereby  enabled,  ever  since  they  vindicated 
their  freedom,  to  defy  and  defeat  every  tyrant  that  has 
menaced  them."  The  mission  was  fruitless,  except,  per- 
haps, in  the  lesson  it  affords,  especially  worthy  of  the  at- 
tention of  our  countrymen  both  in  public  and  private  life, 
of  the  folly  and  injustice,  as  well  as  violation  of  our  fun- 
damental law,  of  a  majority  in  a  free  country  assuming 
that  there  is  anything  national  in  the  religious  sentiments 
of  a  majority,  however  predominating ;  or  that  any  citi- 
zen has  a  right,  in  the  conduct  of  affairs  purely  secu- 
lar or  political,  to  reflect  upon  the  religious  sentiments 
of  Catholics,  who,  without  respect  to  numbers,  have 
equal  rights  with  themselves. 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  and  Samuel  Chase 
remained  in  Canada  to  attend  to  the  affairs  of  the  army. 
Dr.  Franklin's  health  became  so  infirm  that  he  was  com- 
pelled to  leave  the  country  without  delay,  and  Father 
Carroll  became  his  companion  on  the  homeward  journey. 
From  New  York  Dr.  Franklin  wrote  to  his  fellow-com- 
missioners in  Canada  in  relation  to  the  public  interests, 
and,  in  allusion  to  himself  and  Father  Carroll,  he  added : 
"  As  to  myself,  I  grow  daily  more  feeble,  and  I  should 
hardly  have  got  along  so  far  but  for  Mr.  Carroll's 
friendly  assistance  and  tender  care  of  me."  During  their 
association  together  on  the  Canadian  mission,  a  warm  and 
intimate  friendship  sprang  up  between  Dr.  Franklin  and 
Father  Carroll,  which  was  cherished  through  life. 

On  returning  home,  Father  Carroll  found  Congress 
engaged  in  the  discussion  of  the  all-absorbing  question 
of  Independence.  After  remaining  a  few  days  in  Phila- 
delphia, in  the  enjoyment  of  the  society  of  two  of  his 
former  friends  and  associates  of  the  Order  of  Jesuits, 
Fathers  Farmer  and  Molyneux,  he  returned  to  his  resi- 


48  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

dence  at  Rock  Creek,  and  resumed  there  and  at  Aquia 
Creek  the  duties  of  the  sacred  ministry,  which  he  con- 
tinued to  perform  uninterruptedly  during  the  entire 
Revolutionary  War.  In  the  mean  time  and  throughout 
the  great  struggle  he  ardently  sympathized  in  the  cause 
of  Independence,  explaining  and  defending  its  principles 
in  his  correspondence  with  his  late  brethren  in  England, 
and  offering  up  constant  and  fervent  prayers  for  its  suc- 
cess. No  citizen  of  the  Republic  saw  with  greater  joy 
the  consummation  of  the  glorious  result  of  the  contest, 
enhanced,  as  his  joy  especially  was,  on  the  cessation  of 
fraternal  strife  and  bloodshed,  and  the  return  of  peace. 

The  sentiments  with  which  he  viewed  the  controversy 
and  struggle  for  Independence  are  boldly  and  earnestly 
expressed  in  his  correspondence  with  some  of  his  ex- 
Jesuit  friends  residing  in  England,  with  whom  he  regu- 
larly corresponded.  A  few  extracts  from  these  interest- 
ing letters  will  serve  to  illustrate  the  character  and  views  of 
Father  Carroll  as  one  of  the  patriots  of  the  Revolution. 
In  a  letter  of  September  26,  1783,  he  writes:  "You 
tell  me  that  you  perceived  that  in  my  last  I  was  afraid 
of  entering  into  politics ;  but  that  you  will  force  me  into 
the  subject.  I  had  no  such  fears  about  me.  I  have  the 
happiness  to  live  under  a  government  very  different 
from  that  I  have  just  been  talking  of  (the  Austrian),  and 
I  have  never  had  any  cause  to  fear  speaking  my  senti- 
ments with  the  utmost  freedom.  But  when  I  was  writing 
to  you,  I  had  so  many  other  objects  nearer  to  my  heart 
to  talk  of,  that  I  supposed  I  left  them  to  the  public 
papers.  You  have  adopted  the  language  of  some  of 
the  prints  on  your  side  the  water,  by  representing  us 
under  imperious  leaders,  and  the  trammels  of  France ; 
but,  alas !  our  imperious  leaders,  by  whom  I  suppose 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  49 

you  mean  Congress,  were  at  all  times  amenable  to  our 
popular  assemblies,  elected  by  them  every  year,  often 
turned  out  of  their  seats,  and  so  little  envied,  that  as 
their  expenses  were  often  unavoidably  greater  than  their 
profits,  it  had  at  all  times  been  a  difficult  matter  to  get 
men  disinterested  and  patriotic  enough  to  accept  the 
charge ;  and  as  to  the  trammels  of  France,  we  certainly 
have  never  worn  her  chains,  but  have  treated  with  her 
as  equals  ;  have  experienced  from  her  the  greatest  magna- 
nimity and  moderation,  and  have  repaid  it  by  an  honorable 
fidelity  to  our  engagements.  By  both  of  us  proceeding 
on  these  principles  the  war  has  been  brought  to  an 
issue  with  which,  if  you  are  pleased,  all  is  well,  for  .we 
are  certainly  satisfied." 

In  another  letter  to  one  of  his  friends  in  England,  who 
had  indulged  in  some  severe  strictures  on  the  leaders 
and  allies  of  the  American  Confederation,  Father  Car- 
roll replied :  "  If  your  other  kind  letters  never  came  to 
hand,  you  have  only  to  blame  the  unsleeping  avidity  of 
your  own  cruisers,  whom  I  should  call  pirates  were  I 
inclined  to  follow  your  example  of  abusing  the  political 
measures  of  our  adversaries.  For  since  the  object  of 
the  war  on  your  side,  the  right  of  Parliamentary  taxa- 
tion, is  now  confessedly  and  by  every  moderate  man  on 
both  continents  acknowledged  to  have  been  unjust,  surely 
every  measure  to  attain  that  object  must  have  likewise 
been  unjust ;  and  consequently  your  cruisers,  with  all 
their  commissions,  were  nothing  more  than  pirates. 
Thus  much  to  retaliate  for  your  stroke  at  our  faithless 
leaders  and  faithless  a  Mies,  after  which  we  will  be  done 
with  politics." 

Father  Carroll,  like  the  rest  of  our  countrymen  at  that 
time,  was  a  great  admirer  of  Lord  Chatham,  the  able  and 
4 


50  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

intrepid  defender  of  the  constitutional  rights  of  British 
subjects  in  the  colonies ;  and  when  he  heard  of  the  rap- 
id strides  to  greatness  and  eminence  made  by  his  son, 
the  younger  Pitt,  he  thus  rejoiced  at  the  information,  and 
at  the  same  time  expressed  his  indignation  at  the  course 
pursued  by  England  and  her  journalists  and  public  writ- 
ers against  America:  "I  sincerely  rejoice  that  the  son 
of  my  favorite,  the  late  Lord  Chatham,  conducts  himself 
with  such  ability  and  integrity.  You  did  not  expect  so 
much,  perhaps,  from  an  American  ;  and,  indeed,  we  should 
be  excusable  (if  not  as  Christians,  at  least  politically)  for 
not  bearing  you  much  good-will  in  return  for  all  the  lies 
and  misrepresentations  which  many  of  your  soured  and 
indignant  countrymen  are  every  day  coining  about  us. 
You  have  certainly  cramped  our  trade  by  some  regula- 
tions, not  merely  selfish,  but  revengeful.  Your  merchants 
will  find  that  without  warfare  we  have  immense  resources 
and  the  means  of  redress  in  our  power,  as  soon  as  the 
establishment  of  our  new  federal  government  will  allow 
these  means  to  be  called  forth." 

The  following  passage  is  extracted  from  a  letter  writ- 
ten from  Rock  Creek,  February  28,  1779,  to  Father  Plow- 
den  in  England,  and  expresses  Father  Carroll's  views  on 
the  subject  of  religious  liberty :  "  You  inquire  how  Con- 
gress intend  to  treat  the  Catholics  of  this  country.  To 
this  I  must  answer  you,  that  Congress  have  no  authority 
or  jurisdiction  relative  to  the  internal  government  or  con- 
cerns of  the  particular  States  of  the  Union  ;  these  are  all 
settled  by  the  constitutions  and  laws  of  the  States  them- 
selves. I  am  glad,  however,  to  inform  you  that  the  full- 
est and  largest  system  of  toleration*  is  adopted  in  almost 

*  This  word  "toleration  "  is  not  used  in  its  strict  sense;  the  writer's  real  meaning 
*  as  liberty. 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  51 

all  the  American  States :  public  protection  and  encour- 
agement are  extended  alike  to  all  denominations ;  and 
Roman  Catholics  are  members  of  Congress  and  assem- 
blies, and  hold  civil  and  military  posts,  as  well  as  others. 
For  the  sake  of  your  and  many  other  families,  I  am 
heartily  glad  to  see  the  same  policy  beginning  to  be 
adopted  in  England  and  Ireland ;  and  I  cannot'  help 
thinking  that  you  are  indebted  to  America  for  this  piece 
of  service.  I  hope  it  will  soon  be  extended  as  far  with 
you  as  with  us." 

Father  Carroll's  powers  as  a  controversialist  were  sum- 
moned into  service  in  1784.  The  Rev.  C.  H.  Wharton, 
his  former  friend  and  late  fellow-student  and  fellow-mem- 
ber of  the  Society  of  Jesus  in  Europe,  had  apostatized 
from  the  Catholic  faith,  and  terminated  his  ministry 
among  the  Catholics  at  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  by 
the  publication  of  "  A  Letter  to  the  Roman  Catholics  of 
Worcester,  from  the  late  Chaplain  of  that  Society,  Mr.  C. 
H.  WTharton,  stating  the  motives  which  induced  him  to 
relinquish  their  communion  and  become  a  member  of  the 
Protestant  Church."  This  document  was  printed  and 
published  at  Philadelphia,  was  widely  circulated,  and  at- 
tracted great  attention  from  the  public.  Father  Carroll  had 
refrained  from  noticing  many  abusive  articles  which  had 
been  published  against  his  religion  in  the  States,  but  there 
was  a  dignity  and  ability  about  the  "  Letter"  of  Mr.  VYhar- 
ton,  which,  when  added  to  the  influence  his  recent  connec- 
tion and  membership  with  the  Catholic  Church  gave  his 
writings,  were  calculated  to  give  some  power  of  injury  to 
his  attack,  and  seemed  to  Father  Carroll  to  demand  some 
notice  at  his  hands.  His  reply,  entitled  "  An  Address  to 
the  Roman  Catholics  of  the  United  States,  by  a  Catholic 
clergyman,"  is  an  able  and  triumphant  vindication  of  the 


52  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

Catholic  Church  and  her  doctrines,  and  one  of  the  best  con- 
tributions to  our  American  Catholic  literature  ;  especially 
when  we  consider  the  disadvantages  the  writer  labored  un- 
der for  want  of  the  books  necessary  in  such  a  controversy. 
A  single  extract,  touching  the  subject  of  the  preceding 
letters,  will  be  introduced  here.  After  alluding  to  the 
pleasure  he  took  in  defending  his  religion,  he  says : 
"  Even  this  prospect  should  not  have  induced  me  to  en- 
gage in  the  controversy,  if  I  could  fear  that  it  would  dis- 
turb the  harmony  now  subsisting  amongst  all  Christians 
in  this  country,  so  blessed  with  civil  and  religious  liberty ; 
which  if  we  have  the  wisdom  and  temper  to  preserve, 
America  may  come  to  exhibit  a  proof  to  the  world,  that 
general  and  equal  toleration,  by  giving  a  free  circulation 
to  fair  argument,  is  the  most  effective  method  to  bring 
all  denominations  of  Christians  to  an  unity  of  faith."* 

As  a  champion  of  the  rights  of  conscience,  Father  Car- 
roll occupies  an  eminent  position  in  the  annals  of  our 
country.  Shortly  after  the  Constitution  went  into  opera- 
tion, a  writer  in  the  Gazette  of  the  United  States,  at  New 
York,  favored  the  bestowal  of  certain  extraordinary 
privileges  on  Protestantism  as  a  national  religion.  Father 
Carroll,  over  the  signature  of  "  Pacificus,"  replied  in  the 
same  journal,  in  a  letter  which  stands  forth  as  an  able  and 
eloquent  vindication  of  religious  liberty  and  equality  un- 
der the  Constitution.  In  it  Father  Carroll  says  :— 

"  The  writer  may  not  have  been  fully  sensible  of  the 
tendency  of  his  publication,  because  he  speaks  of  pre- 
serving universal  toleration.  Perhaps  he  is  one  of  those 
who  think  it  consistent  with  justice  to  exclude  certain 
citizens  from  the  honors  and  emoluments  of  society, 

*  See  copious  extracts  in  Campbell's  Life  of  Archbishop  Carroll,  Catholic  Magazine, 
1844,  p.  663. 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  53 

merely  on  account  of  their  religious  opinions,  provided 
they  be  not  restrained  by  racks  and  forfeitures  from  the 
exercise  of  that  worship  which  their  consciences  approve. 
If  such  be  his  views,  in  vain,  then,  have  Americans  associ- 
ated into  one  great  national  union,  under  the  express  con- 
dition of  not  being  shackled  by  religious  tests  ;  and  under 
a  firm  persuasion  that  they  were  to  retain,  when  asso- 
ciated, every  natural  right  not  expressly  surrendered. 

"  Is  it  pretended  that  they  who  are  the  objects  of  an 
intended  exclusion  from  certain  offices  of  honor  and  ad- 
vantage, have  forfeited,  by  any  act  of  treason  against  the 
United  States,  the  common  rights  of  nature,  or  the  stip- 
ulated rights  of  the  political  society  of  which  they  form  a 
part?  This  the  author  has  not  presumed  to  assert. 
Their  blood  flowed  as  freely  (in  proportion  to  their  num- 
bers) to  cement  the  fabric  of  Independence  as  that 
of  any  of  their  fellow-citizens.  They  concurred  with, 
perhaps,  greater  unanimity  than  any  other  body  of  men 
in  recommending  and  promoting  that  government  from 
whose  influence  America  anticipates  all  the  blessings  of 
justice,  peace,  plenty,  good  order,  and  civil  and  religious 
liberty.  What  character  shall  we  then  give  to  a  sugges- 
tion of  policy  calculated  for  the  express  purpose  of  divest- 
ing of  rights  legally  acquired,  those  citizens  who  are  not 
only  unoffending,  but  whose  conduct  has  been  highly 
meritorious? 

"These  observations  refer  to  the  general  tendency  of 
the  publication,  which  I  now  proceed  to  consider  more 
particularly.  Is  it  true  (as  the  author  states)  that  our 
forefathers  abandoned  their  native  homes,  renounced  its 
honors  and  comforts,  and  buried  themselves  in  the  im- 
mense forests  of  this  new  world,  for  the  sake  of  that 
religion  which  he  recommends  as  preferable  to  any 


54  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

other  ?  Was  not  the  religion  which  the  emigrants  to 
the  four  Southern  States  brought  with  them  to  America, 
the  pre-eminent  and  favored  religion  of  the  country 
which  they  left  ?  Did  the  Roman  Catholics  who  first 
came  to  Maryland  leave  their  native  soil  for  the  sake  of 
preserving  the  Protestant  Church  ?  Was  this  the  mo- 
tive of  the  peaceful  Quakers  in  the  settlement  of  Penn- 
sylvania? Did  the  first  inhabitants  of  the  Jerseys  and 
New  York  quit  Europe  for  fear  of  being  compelled  to 
renounce  their  Protestant  tenets  ?  Can  it  be  even  truly 
affirmed  that  this  motive  operated  on  all,  or  a  majority 
of  those  who  began  to  settle  and  improve  the  four 
Eastern  States  ?  Or  even  if  they  really  were  influenced 
by  a  desire  of  preserving  their  religion,  what  will  ensue 
from  the  facts  but  that  one  denomination  of  Protestants 
sought  a  retreat  from  the  persecution  of  another  ?  Will 
history  justify  the  assertion,  that  they  left  their  native 
homes  for  the  sake  of  the  Protestant  religion,  under- 
standing it  in  a  comprehensive  sense  as  distinguished 
from  every  other? 

"This  leading  fact  being  so  much  misstated,  no  won- 
der that  the  author  should  go  on  bewildering  himself 
more  and  more.  He  asserts  that-the  religion  which  he 
recommends  laid  the  foundations  of  this  great  and  new 
empire,  and  therefore  contends  that  it  is  entitled  to  pre- 
eminence and  distinguished  favor.  Might  I  not  say  with 
equal  truth,  that  the  religion  which  he  recommends  ex- 
erted her  powers  to  crush  this  empire  in  its  birth,  and  is 
still  laboring  to  prevent  its  growth  ?  For  can  we  so 
soon  forget,  or  now  help  seeing,  that  the  bitterest 
enemies  of  our  national  prosperity  profess  the  same  re- 
ligion which  prevails  generally  in  the  United  States  ? 
What  inference  will  a  philosophic  mind  draw  from  this 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  55 

view,  but  that  religion  is  out  of  the  question — that  it  is 
ridiculous  to  say  the  Protestant  religion  is  the  import- 
ant bulwark  of  our  Constitution — that  the  establishment 
of  the  American  empire  was  not  the  work  of  this  or  that 
religion,  but  arose  from  a  generous  exertion  of  all  her 
citizens  to  redress  their  wrongs,  to  assert  their  rights, 
and  lay  its  foundations  on  the  soundest  principles  of  jus- 
tice and  equal  liberty  ?  "  * 

Familiar  as  these  sentiments  are  to  us  now,  they  were 
then  the  result  of  research  and  reflection  on  the  part  of 
Dr.  Carroll,  were  by  him  first  applied  to  the  condition 
of  Catholics  in  this  country  and  their  relations  to  the 
Government  and  the  sects,  and  by  him  first  announced 
and  addressed  to  the  Protestant  mind  of  America. 
Hence  they  possess  a  value  far  beyond  their  present 
appreciation,  because  they  are  the  historical  record  of 
that  early  contest  for  equal  rights  to  Catholics,  and  have 
ever  since  guided  and  directed  public  thought  and  sen- 
timent, and  are  daily  appealed  to  by  Catholics,  in  this 
great  and  all-important  question.  Thus  Father  Carroll 
was  the  first  champion  of  truths  which  form  the  founda- 
tion of  a  permanent  and  constitutional  claim  on  the  part 
of  aH  citizens  to  civil  and  religious  liberty  in  America. 

But  this  part  of  our  record  would  be  incomplete  with- 
out an  exposition  of  the  decided  and  enthusiastic  support 
to  our  Government  and  Constitution  displayed  by  the  Cath- 
olics of  the  revolutionary  era  after  the  achievement  of  In- 
dependence, and  particularly  by  the  subject  of  this  me- 
moir ;  one  of  the  prominent  features  of  which  was  the  con- 
gratulatory address  of  the  Catholics  of  the  United  States 
to  General  Washington  on  his  accession  to  the  Presidency. 
It  is  inserted  here,  as  well  as  the  first  President's  reply: — 

*  For  this  article  entire,  see  Mr.  Brent's  Biography  of  Archbiihop  Carroll. 


56  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

'•ADDRESS  OF  THE  ROMAN  CATHOLICS   OF  AMERICA   TO 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 

"SiR: — We  have  been  long  impatient  to  testify  our 
joy  and  unbounded  confidence  on  your  being  called  by 
a  unanimous  vote  to  the  first  station  of  a  country,  in 
which  that  unanimity  could  not  have  been  obtained  with- 
out the  previous  merit  of  unexampled  services,  of  emi- 
nent wisdom,  and  unblemished  virtue.  Our  congratula- 
tions have  not  reached  you  sooner,  because  our  scattered 
situation  prevented  the  communication  and  collecting 
of  those  sentiments  which  warmed  every  breast.  But 
delay  has  furnished  us  with  the  opportunity,  not  only  of 
presaging  the  happiness  to  be  expected  under  your  ad- 
ministration, but  of  bearing  testimony  to  that  which  we 
experience.  It  is  your  peculiar  talent,  in  war  and  in 
peace,  to  afford  security  to  those  who  commit  their  pro- 
tection into  your  hands.  In  war  you  shield  them  from 
the  ravages  of  armed  hostility;  in  peace  you  establish 
public  tranquillity  by  the  justice  and  moderation  not 
less  than  by  the  vigor  of  your  government.  By  exam- 
ple as  well  as  by  vigilance,  you  extend  the  influence  of 
laws  on  the  manners  of  our  fellow-citizens.  You  en- 
courage respect  for  religion,  and  inculcate,  by  words 
and  actions,  that  principle  on  which  the  welfare  of  na- 
tions so  much  depends — that  a  superintending  Provi- 
dence governs  the  events  of  the  world,  and  watches 
over  the  conduct  of  men.  Your  exalted  maxims  and 
unwearied  attention  to  the  moral  and  physical  improve- 
ment of  your  country  have  produced  already  the  hap- 
piest effects.  Under  your  administration,  America  is  ani- 
mated with  zeal  for  the  attainment  and  encouragement 
of  useful  literature;  she  improves  agriculture,  extends 
her  commerce,  and  acquires  with  foreign  nations  a  dig- 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  57 

nity  unknown  to  her  before.  From  these  happy  events, 
in  which  none  can  feel  a  warmer  interest  than  ourselves, 
we  derive  additional  pleasure  by  recollecting  that  you, 
Sir,  have  been  the  principal  instrument  to  effect  so  rapid 
a  change  in  our  political  situation.  This  prospect  of 
national  prosperity  is  peculiarly  pleasing  to  us  on  another 
account ;  because,  whilst  our  country  preserves  her  free- 
dom and  independence,  we  shall  have  a  well-founded 
title  to  claim  from  her  justice  the  equal  rights  of  citizen- 
ship, as  the  price  of  our  blood  spilt  under  your  eyes, 
and  of  our  common  exertions  for  her  defence  under 
your  auspicious  conduct — rights  rendered  more  dear  to 
us  by  the  remembrance  of  former  hardships.  When  we 
pray  for  the  preservation  of  them  where  they  have  been 
granted,  and  expect  the  full  extension  of  them  from  the 
justice  of  those  States  which  restrict  them, — when  we 
solicit  the  protection  of  Heaven  over  our  common  coun- 
try, we  neither  omit,  nor  can  omit,  recommending  your 
preservation  to  the  singular  care  of  Divine  Providence, 
because  we  conceive  that  no  human  means  are  so  availa- 
ble to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  United  States  as  the 
prolongation  of  your  health  and  life,  in  which  are  in- 
cluded the  energy  of  your  example,  the  wisdom  of  you*' 
counsels,  and  the  persuasive  eloquence  of  your  virtues. 

"  In  behalf  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Clergy, 

"J.  CARROLL. 
"In  behalf  of  the  Roman  Catholic  laity, 

"  CHARLES  CARROLL  of  Carrollton, 
DANIEL  CARROLL, 
THOMAS  FITZSIMMONS, 
DOMINICK  LYNCH." 


58  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

"THE  ANSWER  TO  THE  ROMAN  CATHOLICS  IN  THE  UNITED 
STATES  OF  AMERICA. 

"  GENTLEMEN  : — While  I  now  receive  with  much  satis- 
faction your  congratulations  on  my  being  called  by  a 
unanimous  vote  to  the  first  station  of  my  country,  I  can- 
not but  duly  notice  your  politeness  in  offering  an  apology 
for  the  unavoidable  delay.  As  that  delay  has  given  you 
an  opportunity  of  realizing,  instead  of  anticipating,  the 
benefits  of  the  General  Government,  you  will  do  me  the 
justice  to  believe,  that  your  testimony  of  the  increase 
of  the  public  prosperity  enhances  the  pleasure  which  I 
would  otherwise  have  experienced  from  your  affectionate 
address. 

"  I  feel  that  my  conduct,  in  war  and  peace,  has  met 
with  more  general  approbation  than  could  reasonably 
have  been  expected  ;  and  I  find  myself  disposed  to  con- 
sider ^that  fortunate  circumstance,  in  a  great  degree,  re- 
sulting from  the  able  support  and  extraordinary  candor 
of  my  fellow-citizens  of  all  denominations. 

"The  prospect  of  national  prosperity  now  before  us 
is  truly  animating,  and  ought  to  excite  the  exertions  of 
all  good  men  to  establish  and  secure  the  happiness  of 
their  country  in  the  permanent  duration  of  its  freedom 
and  independence.  America,  under  the  smiles  of  a  Divine 
Providence,  the  protection  of  a  good  government,  and 
the  cultivation  of  manners,  morals,  and  piety,  cannot  fail 
of  attaining  an  uncommon  degree  of  eminence  in  litera- 
ture, commerce,  agriculture,  improvements  at  home  and 
respectability  abroad. 

"  As  mankind  become  more  liberal,  they  will  be  more 
apt  to  allow  that  all  those  who  conduct  themselves  as 
worthy  members  of  the  community,  are  equally  entitled 
to  the  protection  of  civil  government.  I  hope  ever  to  sec 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  59 

America  among  the  foremost  nations  in  examples  of  jus- 
tice and  liberality ;  and  I  presume  that  your  fellow-citi 
zens  will  not  forget  the  patriotic  part  which  you  took  in 
the  accomplishment  of  their  revolution  and  the  estab- 
lishment of  their  government,  or  the  important  assistance 
which  they  received  from  a  nation  in  which  the  Roman 
Catholic  faith  is  professed. 

"  I  thank  you,  gentlemen,  for  your  kind  concern  for 
me.  While  my  life  and  health  shall  continue,  in  what- 
ever situation  I  may  be,  it  shall  be  my  constant  endeavor 
to  justify  the  favorable  sentiments  which  you  are  pleased 
to  express  of  my  conduct ;  and  may  the  members  of  your 
society  in  America,  animated  alone  by  the  pure  spirit  of 
Christianity,  and  still  conducting  themselves  as  the  faith- 
ful subjects  of  our  free  Government,  enjoy  every  temporal 
and  spiritual  felicity. 

"  G.  WASHINGTON." 

Before  the  separation  of  the  United  States  from  Great 
Britain,  the  Catholic  clergy  of  Maryland  and  Pennsyl- 
vania were  subject  to  the  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  of  the 
Vicar  Apostolic  (Bishop)  of  London,  who  was  repre- 
sented in  the  provinces  by  his  Vicar  General,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Lewis,  Superior  of  the  late  Society  of  Jesus  at  the 
time  of  its  suppression.  In  1783,  the  Rev.  Father  Car- 
roll and  several  others  of  the  clergy  addressed  a  letter  to 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Lewis,  reciting  that,  whereas  America  was 
no  longer  under  the  temporal  authority  of  Great  Britain, 
they  deemed  it  also  proper  and  expedient  that  the  Cath- 
olic Church  in  America  should  no  longer  be  under  the 
ecclesiastical  authority  of  the  Bishop  of  London,  and  re- 
questing that  the  clergy  should  be  called  together  for 
consultation  on  this  important,  subject  The  Rev.  Su- 


60  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

perior  acquiesced  in  these  views  and  suggestions,  and 
several  meetings  of  the  clergy  were  held  for  this  purpose 
at  White  Marsh,  which  resulted  in  the  adoption  of  a  pro- 
visional "  form  of  government "  for  the  Catholic  clergy  of 
the  States,  adopted  October  n,  1784.  They  had,  pre- 
vious to  the  adoption  of  this  form  of  government,  sent  an 
address  or  petition  to  the  Holy  See,  dated  November  6, 
1 783,  requesting  the  appointment  of  a  superior  holding 
immediately  from  Rome,  to  be  clothed  with  the  necessary 
powers  for  the  present  emergency  of  the  American 
Church,  such  as  conferring  confirmation,  blessing  oils, 
etc.,  etc.  They  did  not  ask  the  appointment  of  an  Amer- 
ican Bishop,  which,  they  expressly  stated,  was,  in  their 
judgment,  inexpedient  and  unneccessary  at  that  time. 
But  while  these  proceedings  were  taking  place  in  Mary- 
land, the  Holy  See  was  at  the  same  time  entertaining 
more  enlarged  views  for  the  American  Church,  and  the 
matter  of  the  appointment  of  a  Bishop  for  the  United 
States  was  entertained  both  at  Rome  and  Paris.  Ac- 
cordingly we  find  that  Cardinal  Doria,  the  Papal  Nuncio 
at  Paris,  addressed  a  note  on  this  subject  to  Dr.  Frank- 
lin, who  was  then  American  Minister  to  the  court  of 
France,  which  he  was  requested  to  lay  before  Congress. 
The  interesting  documents  relating  to  this  subject  are  as 
follows : — 

"  The  Nuncio-Apostolic  has  the  honor  to  transmit  to 
Mr.  Franklin  the  subjoined  note.  He  requests  him  to 
cause  it  to  be  presented  to  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States  of  North  America,  and  to  support  it  with  his  influ- 
ence. 

"July  28,  1783. 

"  NOTE. — Previous  to  the  revolution  which  has  just 
been  completed  in  the  United  States  of  North  America, 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  61 

the  Catholics  and  missionaries  of  those  provinces  de- 
pended, in  spiritual  matters,  on  the  Vicar- Apostolic  resid- 
ing in  London.  It  is  now  evident  that  this  arrangement 
can  be  no  longer  maintained ;  but,  as  it  is  necessary  that 
the  Catholic  Christians  of  the  United  States  should  have 
an  ecclesiastic  to  govern  them  in  matters  pertaining  to 
religion,  the  Congregation  de  Propaganda  Fide,  existing 
at  Rome,  for  the  establishment  and  preservation  of  mis- 
sions, have  come  to  the  determination  to  propose  to  Con- 
gress to  establish  in  one  of  the  cities  of  the  United  States 
of  North  America  one  of  their  Catholic  brethren  with  the 
authority  and  power  of  Vicar- Apostolic,  and  the  dignity 
of  Bishop,  or  simply  with  the  rank  of  Apostolical  Prefect. 
The  institution  of  a  Bishop  Vicar- Apostolic  appears  the 
most  suitable,  insomuch  as  the  Catholics  of  the  United 
States  may  have  within  their  reach  the  reception  of  con- 
firmation and  orders  in  their  own  country.  And  as  it 
may  sometimes  happen,  that  among  the  members  of  the 
Catholic  body  in  the  United  States  no  one  may  be  found 
qualified  to  undertake  the  charge  of  the  spiritual  govern- 
ment, either  as  Bishop  or  Vicar-Apostolic,  it  may  be 
necessary,  under  such  circumstances,  that  Congress 
should  consent  to  have  one  selected  from  some  foreign 
nation  on  close  terms  of  friendship  with  the  United 
States." 

It  seems,  too,  that  Father  Carroll  not  only  entertained 
the  same  prudent  view,  from  motives  of  expediency,  but 
also  expressed  his  sentiments  on  this  subject  to  Cardinal 
Antonelli,  in  a  letter  written  by  him  to  Rome,  February  27, 
1785,  in  which  he  says  :  •"  Your  Eminence  may  rest  as- 
sured that  the  clergy  and  faithful  in  this  country  would 
endure  every  suffering  rather  than  reject  the  divine  au- 
thority of  the  Holy  See ;  but  at  the  same  time  they  re- 


62  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

quest  that  no  pretext  be  given  to  the  adversaries  of  our 
holy  religion  to  censure  us,  as  if  depending  more  than  is 
necessary  upon  a  foreign  power ;  and  that  the  mode  of 
appointing  the  ecclesiastical  superior  be  such  as  to  ac- 
cord with  the  spiritual  jurisdiction  of  the  Holy  See,  and 
to  remove  all  occasion  of  imputing  to  the  Catholic  body 
any  opposition  to  their  civil  government." 

Dr.  Franklin  caused  the  matter  to  be  laid  before  Con- 
gress, as  he  was  requested,  which  body  very  properly 
intimated  that  they  had  no  answer  to  make  on  the  mat- 
ter, which  pertained  exclusively  to  the  governments  and 
people  of  the  individual  States  of  the  Union.  It  was 
quite  unnecessary  for  the  Holy  See  to  ask  the  consent 
of  Congress  to  the  proposed  establishment  of  a  Catholic 
Bishop  in  the  United  States,  since  under  the  Constitu- 
tion, then  as  now,  all  religions  were  equally  free  to  or- 
ganize church  governments  according  to  their  respective 
ecclesiastical  constitutions.  But  the  Holy  See  was 
prompted  in  this  action  by  the  most  exalted  Christian 
delicacy  towards  a  young  nation  just  emancipated  from  a 
foreign  yoke,  more  especially  as  it  was  considered  not 
improbable  that  the  person  who  might  be  selected  for 
the  American  episcopate  might  be  a  subject  of  some  for- 
eign government,  even  though  it  was  at  the  same  time 
clearly  intimated  that,  in  such  a  case,  the  choice  would 
be  made  from  France,  our  revolutionary  friend  and  ally. 
So  considerate  was  the  Holy  See  of  the  sentiments  and 
national  jealousies  of  the  new-born  Republic,  that  it  pro- 
posed, in  case  a  bishop  should  be  appointed  for  the 
United  States,  that  he  should  receive  consecration  in 
some  other  country  than  England ;  it  was  Dr.  Franklin 
who  first  suggested  that  the  consecration  might  even 
more  conveniently  be-  performed  in  Canada,  then  as  now 


Most  Rev.  John   Carroll,  D.D.  63 

a  British  province.  It  seems,  too,  that  Father  Carroll, 
in  a  letter  to  Cardinal  Antonelli  in  1785,  entered  into 
this  view,  and  suggested  that  while  the  appointment  be 
made  in  a  manner  in  perfect  accord  with  the  spirit- 
ual jurisdiction  of  the  Holy  See,  it  might  still  be  made 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  no  pretext  to  the  enemies 
of  the  Church  to  censure  the  proceeding. 

On  the  list  sent  to  the  Nuncio  at  Paris  for  transmis- 
sion to  Rome,  containing  the  names  of  the  clergy  from 
whom  the  choice  might  be  made'  for  this  new  and  impor- 
tant office,  Father  Carroll  managed  to  have  his  own 
name  placed  last,  in  order  that  it  might  not  be  conspic- 
uous for  selection.  Dr.  Franklin,  to  whom  the  Nuncio 
showed  the  list,  and  whom  he  consulted  on  the  subject, 
saw  the  name  of  Dr.  Carroll,  with  whose  high  merits 
and  superior  qualifications  he  was  so  well  acquainted, 
and  he  at  once  recommended  his  appointment  above  all 
others.  When  the  petition  of  the  American  clergy  was 
received  by  Father  Thorpe,  at  Rome,  requesting  that  a 
bishop  should  not  at  that  time  be  appointed,  he  pru- 
dently decided  not  to  present  it ;  but  their  request  was 
probably  known  otherwise  at  Rome,  for  the  Holy  See 
acted  in  accordance  with  this  view,  and  determined  to 
appoint  for  the  present  simply  a  superior  or  arch-priest, 
clothed  with  the  necessary  powers,  and  Dr.  Carroll  was 
selected  for  this  appointment.  Towards  the  close  of  the 
year  1784,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Carroll,  who  had  continued  to 
that  time  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  a  missionary 
priest  at  Rock  Creek,  received  the  documents  appointing 
him  Superior  of  the  clergy  of  the  United  States,  and 
granting  him  the  necessary  powers  suggested  by  the 
clergy.  His  appointment  was  hailed  with  great  joy  by 
both  the  clergy  and  laity.  The  ulterior  purpose  of  the 


64  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

Holy  See  to  erect  a  bishopric  in  the  United  States  was, 
however,  clearly  foreshadowed  in  the  correspondence 
and  documents  touching  the  subject. 

The  following  interesting  memorandum  on  the  same 
subject  is  from  Dr.  Franklin's  Memoirs  : — 

"  1784,  July  ist.  The  Pope's  Nuncio  called,  and  ac- 
quainted me  that  the  Pope  had,  on  my  recommendation, 
appointed  Mr.  John  Carroll  Superior  of  the  Catholic 
clergy  in  America,  with  many  of  the  powers  of  a  bishop, 
and  that  probably  he  would  be  made  a  bishop  in  parti- 
bus  before  the  end  of  the  year.  He  asked  which  would 
be  most  convenient  for  him — to  come  to  France,  or  go  to 
St.  Domingo  for  ordination*  by  another  bishop,  which 
was  necessary.  I  mentioned  Quebec  as  more  conve- 
nient than  either.  He  asked  whether,  as  that  was  an 
English  province,  our  Government  might  not  take  offence 
at  his  going  thither.  I  thought  nqt,  unless  the  ordina- 
tion by  that  bishop  should  give  him  some  authority  over 
our  bishop.  He  said,  not  in  the  least;  that  when  our 
bishop  was  once  ordained,  he  would  be  independent  of 
the  other,  and  even  of  the  Pope,  which  I  did  not  clearly 
understand.!  He  said  the  congregation  de  Propaganda 
Fide  had  agreed  to  receive  and  maintain  two  young 
Americans  in  the  languages  and  sciences  at  Rome.  He 
had  formerly  told  me  that  more  would  be  educated  gratis 
in  France.  He  added,  they  had  written  from  America 
there  were  twenty  priests,  but  that  they  are  not  suffi- 
cient, as  the  new  settlements  near  the  Mississippi  had 
need  of  some. 

"  The  Nuncio  said  we  should  find  that  the  Catholics 
were  not  so  intolerant  as  they  had  been  represented ; 

*  Consecration. 

f  The  language  of  the  Nuncio  was  here  clearly  misunderstood  by  Dr.  Franklin. 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  65 

that  the  Inquisition  in  Rome  had  not  now  so  much  pow- 
er as  that  in  Spain,  and  that  in  Spain  it  was  used  chiefly 
as  a  prison  of  state ;  that  the  Congregation  would  have 
undertaken  the  education  of  more  American  youths,  and 
may  hereafter,  but  that  at  present  they  are  over-bur- 
dened, having  some  from  all  parts  of  the  world." 

One  of  the  earliest  duties  that  engaged  the  attention 
of  Dr.  Carroll,  after  his  appointment  to  the  post  of  Su- 
perior of  the  American  clergy,  was  to  visit  the  principal 
cities  within  his  spiritual  jurisdiction,  in  order  to  minis- 
ter to  their  religious  wants,  under  the  new  powers 
granted  to  him  by  the  Holy  See;  to  investigate  the  con- 
dition and  prospects  of  the  Catholic  body  in  those 
places,  to  ascertain  their  requirements,  and  to  provide 
for  their  necessities,  as  far  as  possible.  His  first  visita- 
tion was  commenced  September  22,  1785,  and  extended 
through  Maryland,  Pennsylvania,  the  Jerseys,  and  New 
York.  His  ripe  judgment,  profound  wisdom,  and  ar- 
dent zeal  for  the  interests  of  religion,  were  eminently 
displayed  in  this  his  first  great  official  undertaking  as  the 
head  of  the  American  Church.  The  number  of  Catho- 
lics in  Maryland  about  this  time,  as  estimated  by  him, 
was  about  sixteen  thousand ;  in  Pennsylvania,  seven 
thousand,  and  in  the  other  States  above  named  about 
two  thousand.  The  number  of  the  clergy  in  Maryland 
was  nineteen,  and  in  Pennsylvania  five ;  but  these  were 
soon  increased  by  recruits  from  Europe,  enabling  Father 
Carroll  to  send  pastors  to  Boston,  New  York,  Charles- 
ton, Kentucky,  and  other  places.  A  report  on  the  con- 
dition of  Catholicity  in  the  United  States,  written  by 
Bishop  Carroll,  shortly  after  his  consecration,  is  full  of 
valuable  and  interesting  details,  and  is  an  invaluable  con- 
tribution to  the  ecclesiastical  history  of  the  country. 
5 


66  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

His  estimate  did  not  include  the  descendants  of  the  old 
French  settlers  in  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi  and  on 
the  Northern  lakes. 

The  intimation  made  by  the  Nuncio  to  Dr.  Franklin, 
in  1784,  that  the  appointment  of  a  Superior  would  be 
followed  by  the  creation  of  a  bishopric  in  the  course  of 
the  year,  was  not  so  soon  realized.  The  efficient  and 
untiring  services  of  Dr.  Carroll,  as  Superior,  supplied  at 
once  the  most  pressing-  needs  of  the  American  Church, 
and  seemed  to  meet  the  immediate  emergencies.  But  as 
the  development  of  the  Church  took  place,  and  her  vast 
and  extending  fields  of  missionary  labor  were  laid  open 
under  the  energetic  administration  of  the  new  Superior, 
it  became  more  evident  every  day  that  his  powers  were 
too  restricted  and  his  resources  too  limited.  With  the 
means  at  his  command,  Dr.  Carroll  did  much  for  the 
Church  and  missions  of  that  early  day,  and  caused  the 
benefits  of  that  partial  organization  to  be  felt  throughout 
the  country.  The  awakening  power  of  his  zeal  was  felt 
in  regions  far  beyond  those  he  had  been  able  to  visit  in 
person.  For  over  five  years  he  exerted  all  the  powers 
and  means  placed  in  his  hands  to  promote  the  cause  of 
religion,  continuing  during  the  same  period  to  perform 
active  missionary  duties  himself.  The  experience  of 
these  years  convinced  him  and  the  clergy  of  the  country 
of  the  inadequacy  of  the  arrangement,  and  of  the  insuf- 
ficiency of  the  powers  confided  to  the  Superior,  or  Vi- 
car-General. 

The  clergy  of  the  States,  having  become  convinced  of 
the  necessity  for  the  erection  of  a  bishopric  in  the  United 
States,  petition sd  to  the  Holy  See  for  that  favor.  Rome 
had  heretofore  been  in  advance  of  the  American  clergy 
themselves  on  this  important  subject,  as  has  already 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  67 

been  related,  and  was  now  quite  willing  and  ready  to  do 
all  that  they  asked,  and  even  more.  The  Holy  See  au 
thorized  the  clergy  themselves  to  determine  the  location 
of  the  new  see,  and  even  to  designate  from  their  own 
number  the  person  most  worthy  and  acceptable  to  be 
clothed  with  the  episcopal  dignity  and  power.  The 
prominent  position  already  occupied  by  Dr.  Carroll 
caused  the  eyes  of  the  Catholic  community  to  rest  upon 
him  as  the  probable  choice  of  the  clergy.  He  felt  the 
greatest  solicitude  for  the  proper  and  judicious  exercise 
of  the  elective  power  thus  so  graciously  bestowed  upon 
the  American  clergy,  and  seems  to  have  entertained  an 
humble  and  sincere  apprehension,  lest,  as  was  the  gen- 
eral expectation,  the  choice  might  fall  upon  himself.  In  a 
letter  written  by  him  early  in  1789,  he  used  the  following 
language  on  this  subject:  "  In  the  middle  of  last  month 
I  received  a  letter  from  Cardinal  Antonelli,  dated  in  July 
last,  in  which  he  informs  me  that  his  Holiness  has  grant- 
ed our  request  for  an  ordinary  bishop,  whose  see  is  to 
be  fixed  by  ourselves,  and  the  choice  made  by  the 
officiating  priests.  We  are  going  to  take  the  affair  up 
immediately,  and  God  will,  I  hope,  direct  us  to  make  a 
good  choice.  This  trust  is  my  consolation.  Otherwise 
I  should  be  full  of  apprehension  to  see  the  choice  fall 
where  it  might  be  fatal."  An  assembly  was  accordingly 
held  by  the  clergy  in  May,  1 789,  and  after  selecting  Bal- 
timore as  the  most  proper  location  of  the  new  see,  the 
almost  unanimous  voice  of  his  brethren  in  the  sacred 
ministry,  as  was  already  anticipated,  called  Dr.  Carroll 
to  the  high  and  responsible  office,  which  he  so  well 
merited  and  so  much  dreaded. 

Dr.  Carroll  united  in  the  selection  of  Baltimore  as  the 
episcopal  city,  "this  being,"  as  he  has  himself  written, 


68  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

"  the  principal  town  of  Maryland,  and  that  State  being 
the  oldest  and  still  the  most  numerous  residence  of  true 
religion  in  America."  Dr.  Carroll  in  the  same  letter, 
which  was  addressed  to  his  friend,  Father  Plowden,  in 
England,  says  :  "  So  far  all  was  right.  We  then  proceed- 
ed to  the  election,  the  event  of  which  was  such  as  de- 
prives me  of  all  expectation  of  rest  or  pleasure  hencefor- 
ward, and  fills  me  with  terror  with  respect  to  eternity. 
I  am  so  stunned  with  the  issue  of  this  business,  that  I 
truly  hate  the  hearing  or  mention  of  it,  and  therefore  will 
say  only,  that  since  my  brethren — whom  in  this  case  I 
consider  as  the  interpreters  of  the  Divine  will — say  I  must 
obey,  I  will  even  do  it ;  but  by  obeying  shall  sacrifice 
henceforward  every  moment  of  peace  and  satisfaction." 
And  again  :  "  My  own  knowledge  of  myself  informs  me, 
better  than  a  thousand  voices  to  the  contrary,  that  I  am 
entirely  unfit  for  a  station  in  which  I  can  have  no  hopes 
of  rendering  service,  but  through  His  help  and  continual 
direction  who  has  called  me  to  it,  when  I  was  doing  all 
in  my  power  to  prevent  it."  The  recommendations  of 
the  assembled  clergy  were  fully  approved  at  Rome, 
where  the  choice  of  Dr.  Carroll  was  hailed  with  great 
and  universal  satisfaction  and  joy.  The  Holy  See  issued 
the  Papal  Bull  of  November  6,  1 789,  decreeing  in  accord- 
ance with  those  recommendations,  and  Cardinal  Anto- 
nelli,  in  his  letter  of  November  14,  1789,  transmitting  the 
Papal  Bull  to  Dr.  Carroll,  conveys  at  the  same  time 
"  the  most  flattering  testimonials  of  the  high  esteem  in 
which  he  was  held,  and  of  the  joy  which  his  election  had 
awakened  in  the  capital  of  the  Christian  world."*  In  the 
same  letter,  Cardinal  Antonelli  addressed  to  Bishop  Car- 
roll the  following  language :  "  It  is  a  splendid  and  glori- 

*  Rev.  Dr.  White's  Appendix  to  Darras'  History  of  the  Church. 


Most  Rev.  John   Carroll,  D.D.  69 

ous  office,  to  offer  to  God,  as  it  were,  the  first  fruits  of 
that  portion  of  the  Lord's  vineyard.  Enjoy,  therefore,  so 
great  a  blessing,  not  only  for  the  salvation  of  yourself, 
but  for  that  of  others,  and  for  the  increase  of  the  Catho- 
lic faith,  which  we  trust  will  become  more  and  more 
widely  established  in  that  distant  region." 

The  Papal  Bull  appointing  Baltimore  as  the  episcopal 
crty,  and  Dr.  Carroll  as  the  first  Bishop  of  the  United 
States,  gives  a  full  account  of  these  interesting  and  im- 
portant events,  and  discloses  the  generous  sentiments  of 
the  Holy  See  towards  the  young  Church  of  America  and 
towards  the  new-born  Republic.  The  following  extract 
from  it  will  be  perused  with  interest :  after  the  preamble, 
the  holy  Pope,  Pius  VI.,  proceeds : — 

"  Wherefore,  it  having  reached  our  ears  that  in  the 
flourishing  Commonwealth  of  the  thirteen  American 
States,  many  faithful  Christians,  united  in  communion 
with  the  chair  of  Peter,  in  which  the  centre  of  Catholic 
unity  is  fixed,  and  governed  in  their  spiritual  concerns  by 
their  own  priests  having  care  of  souls,  earnestly  desire 
that  a  Bishop  may  be  appointed  over  them,  to  exercise 
the  functions  of  the  Episcopal  order,  to  feed  them  more 
largely  with  the  food  of  salutary  doctrine,  and  to  guard 
more  carefully  that  portion  of  the  Catholic  flock :  We 
willingly  embraced  this  opportunity,  which  the  grace  of 
Almighty  God  has  offered  us,  to  provide  those  distant 
regions  with  the  comfort  and  ministry  of  a  Catholic 
Bishop.  And  that  this  may  be  effected  more  successfully 
and  according  to  the  rules  of  the  sacred  canons,  we  com- 
missioned our  venerable  brethren  the  Cardinals  of  the 
holy. Roman  Church,  directors  of  the  Congregation  de 
Propaganda  Fide,  to  manage  this  business  with  the  great- 
est care,  and  to  make  a  report  to  us.  It  was  therefore  ap- 


j-o  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

pointed  by  their  decree,  approved  by  us,  and  published 
the  1 2th  day  of  July  the  last  year,  that  the  priests,  who 
lawfully  exercise  the  sacred  ministry  and  have  care  of 
souls  in  the  United  States  of  America,  should  be  em- 
powered to  advise  together  and  to  determine,  first,  in 
what  town  the  Episcopal  See  ought  to  be  erected ;  and 
next,  who  of  the  aforesaid  priests  appeared  the  most 
worthy  and  proper  to  be  promoted  to  this  important 
charge,  whom  we  for  this  time  only,  and  by  special 
grace,  permitted  the  said  priests  to  elect  and  to  present 
to  this  Apostolic  See.  In  obedience  to  this  decree,  the 
aforesaid  priests,  exercising  the  care  of  souls  in  the 
United  States  of  America,  unanimously  agreed  that  a 
Bishop,  with  ordinary  jurisdiction,  ought  to  be  established 
in  the  town  of  Baltimore  ;  because  this  town,  situated  in 
Maryland,  which  province  the  greater  part  of  the  priests 
and  of  the  faithful  inhabit,  appeared  the  most  conven- 
iently placed  for  intercourse  with  the  other  States,  and 
because  from  this  province  the  Catholic  religion  and 
faith  had  been  propagated  into  the  others.  And  at  the 
same  time  appointed  for  the  election,  they  being  assem- 
bled together,  the  sacrifice  of  holy  mass  having  being 
celebrated,  and  the  grace  and  assistance  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  being  implored,  the  votes  of  all  present  were 
taken,  and  of  twenty-six  priests  who  were  assembled, 
twenty-four  gave  their  votes  for  our  beloved  son  John 
Carroll,  whom  they  judged  the  most  proper  to  support 
the  burden  of  Episcopacy  ;  and  sent  an  authentic  instru- 
ment of  the  whole  transaction  to  the  aforesaid  Congre- 
gation of  Cardinals.  Now,  all  things  being  maturely 
weighed  and  considered  in  this  Congregation,  it  was 
easily  agreed,  that  the  interests  and  increase  of  the  Cath- 
olic religion  would  be  greatly  promoted  if  an  Episco- 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  71 

pal  See  were  erected  at  Baltimore,  and  the  said  John 
Car-roll  was  appointed  the  bishop  of  it.  We,  therefore, 
to  whom  this  opinion  has  been  reported  by  our  beloved 
son,  Cardinal  Antonelli,  prefect  of  the  Congregation, 
having  nothing  more  at  heart  than  to  insure  success  to 
whatever  tends  to  the  propagation  of  true  religion  and 
the  honor  and  increase  of  the  Catholic  Church,  by  the 
pdenitude  of  our  apostolic  power,  and  by  the  tenor  of 
these  presents,  do  establish  and  erect  the  aforesaid  town 
of  Baltimore  into  an  Episcopal  See  forever,  for  one  bish 
op  to  be  chosen  by  us  in  all  future  vacancies ;  and  we 
therefore,  by  the  apostolical  authority  aforesaid,  do  allow, 
grant,  and  permit  to  the  bishop  of  said  city,  and  to 
his  successors  in  all  future  times,  to  exercise  episcopal 
power  and  jurisdiction,  and  to  hold  and  enjoy  all  and 
every  right  and  privilege  of  order  and  jurisdiction  and  of 
every  other  episcopal  function  which  bishops  constituted 
in  other  places  are  empowered  to  hold  and  enjoy  in  their 
respective  churches,  cities,  and  dioceses  by  right  or  cus- 
tom, or  other  means,  by  general  privileges,  graces,  in- 
dults,  and  episcopal  dispensations,  honors,  immunities, 
graces,  and  favors  which  other  Cathedral  Churches,  by 
right  or  custom,  or  in  any  sort,  have,  hold,  and  enjoy. 
We,  moreover,  decree  and  declare  the  said  episcopal 
see  thus  created  to  be  subject  or  suffragan  to  no  me- 
tropolitan right  or  jurisdiction,  but  to  be  forever  subject 
immediately  to  us  and  to  our  successors,  the  Roman 
Pontiffs,  and  to  this  Apostolical  See.  We  declare  by  our 
apostolical  authority  all  the  faithful  of  it  living  in  Cath- 
olic communion,  as  well  ecclesiastics  as  seculars,  and  all 
the  clergy  and  people  dwelling  in  the  aforesaid  United 
States  of  America,  though  hitherto  they  may  have  been 
subject  to  other  bishops  of  other  dioceses,  to  be  hence- 


J2  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

forward  subject  to  the  Bishop  of  Baltimore  in  all  future 
times ;  and  to  this.  Bishop  and  to  his  successors,  we 
impart  power  to  curb  and  check,  without  appeal,  all  per- 
sons who  may  contradict  or  oppose  their  orders,  to  visit , 
personally  or  by  deputies  all  Catholic  churches,  to  re- 
move abuses,  to  correct  the  manners  of  the  faithful,  and 
to  perform  all  things  which  other  bishops  in  their  re- 
spective dioceses  are  accustomed  to  do  and  perform, 
saving  in  all  things  our  own  authority,  and  that  of  this 
Apostolical  See.  And  wherever  by  special  grant,  and 
for  the  time  only,  we  have  allowed  the  priests  exercising 
the  care  of  souls  in  the  United  States  of  America  to 
elect  a  person  to  be  appointed  bishop  by  us,  and  almost 
all  their  votes  having  been  given  to  our  beloved  son 
John  Carroll,  priest :  We,  being  otherwise  certified  of 
his  faith,  prudence,  piety,  and  zeal,  forasmuch  as  by 
our  mandate  he  has,  during  the  late  years,  directed  the 
spiritual  government  of  souls,  do  therefore,  by  the  plen- 
itude of  our  authority,  declare,  decree,  appoint,  and 
constitute  the  said  John  Carroll  Bishop  and  Pastor  of 
the  said  Church  of  Baltimore,  granting  to  him  the  fac- 
ulty of  receiving  the  rite  of  consecration  from  any  Cath- 
olic bishop  holding  communion  with  the  Apostolical 
See,  assisted  by  two  ecclesiastics  vested  with  some 
dignity,  in  case  that  two  bishops  cannot  be  had,  first 
having  taken  the  usual  oath,  according  to  the  Roman 
Pontifical."* 

Two  curious  and  interesting  circumstances  may  here 
be  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  founding  of  the 
Catholic  Hierarchy  in  the  United  States.  Baltimore  was 
not  at  first  thought  of  or  designed  at  Rome  for  the 

*  Brief  Account  of  the  Establishment  of  the  Episcopacy  in  the    United  States,  by 
B.  U.  Campbell.    The  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States,  by  De  Courcy  and  Shea. 


Most  Rev.   John  Carroll,  D.D.  73 

episcopal  city  of  our  country,  but  that  distinction  was  in 
the  first  instance  considered  with  reference  to  the  city  of 
Philadelphia.  The  reason  for  this  is,  no  doubt,  to  be 
found  in  the  fact  that  Philadelphia  was  at  that  time  the 
seat  of  the  American  Government,  and  was  thus  natu- 
rally the  first  place  that  occurred  to  the  ecclesiastical 
authorities  at  Rome  as  the  most  suitable  place  for  the 
seat  of  episcopal  power  and  dignity.  But  still  more 
singular  than  this,  a  comparatively  obscure  and  incon- 
siderable place  farther  west  was  even  more  seriously 
thought  of  at  Rome  and  Paris,  at  the  same  time  that 
Baltimore  was  selected,  as  the  seat  of  another  American 
bishopric ;  this  was  Gallipolis,  in  Scioto  County,  Ohio. 
The  reasons  for  this  proceeding  are  probably  to  be 
found  in  the  circumstance  that,  a  little  before  this  time, 
a  considerable  colony  of  French  Catholics,  about  seven 
thousand  strong,  had  emigrated  from  France  and  settled 
on  a  large  tract  of  land  purchased  for  them  on  the  Scioto 
River  by  a  French  Land  Company,  and  had  called  their 
settlement  Gallipolis.  This  project  went  so  far  even  as 
the  nomination  of  a  bishop,  and  the  Abbe  Boisnantier,  a 
canon  of  St.  Denys  in  Paris,  was  appointed  Bishop  of 
Gallipolis.  It  is  quite  probable  that  the  proposed  bish- 
opric in  Ohio  was  intended  to  have  been  created  in  addi- 
tion to  that  then  about  to  be  erected  at  Baltimore.  The 
abandonment  of  the  design  is  probably  attributable  to  the 
failure  of  the  Scioto  colony,  the  title  of  whose  lands 
proved  invalid,  and  who,  finding  themselves  defrauded, 
returned  for  the  most  part  to  their  native  country.  In 
1793,  when  Bishop  Carroll  sent  as  missionaries  to  the 
West  Fathers  Badin  and  Barrieres,  those  zealous 
priests  found  at  Gallipolis  but  a  remnant  of  the  former 
colony ;  but  the  remaining  members  of  the  little  settle- 


74  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

ment,  who  had  long  been  without  a  priest,  received  the 
good  missionaries  with  great  joy.  The  two  Fathers 
remained  with  them  three  days,  celebrated  high  mass 
in  the  garrison,  heard  confessions,  and  baptized  forty 
children.* 

The  bishop  elect  sailed  for  England,  where  he  pos- 
sessed many  friends,  and  where  his  merits  and  his  per- 
son were  already  well  known,  to  receive  episcopal  con- 
secration, in  the  summer  of  1790.  The  ceremony  of 
consecration  was  performed  by  the  Right  Rev.  Charles 
Warmsley,  Bishop  of  Rama,  in  partibus,  and  Vicar- 
Apostolic  of  London,  in  the  elegant  chapel  of  Lulworth 
Castle,  at  the  request  of  its  pious  and  excellent  proprie- 
tor, Thomas  Weld,  Esq.,  August  15,  1790,  the  feast  of 
the  Assumption  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary;  and,  in 
commemoration  of  this  fact,  the  new  Bishop  selected  that 
as  th'e  patronal  feast  of  his  diocese.  No  expense  was 
spared  by  the  noble  owner  of  Lulworth  Castle  to  invest 
this  venerable  and  august  ceremony  with  every  splendor. 
The  two  prelates  and  their  respective  attendant  priests 
and  acolytes,  clad  in  the  most  costly  and  glittering  vest- 
ments, the  enchanting  music  of  the  choir,  the  multitude 
of  glowing  wax  lights,  and  the  beautiful  ornaments 
of  the  altar,  all  contributed  to  complete  the  grandeur 
and  effect  of  the  solemn  occasion.  The  consecration 
sermon  was  preached  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Plowden,  the 
friend  and  former  associate  of  Dr.  Carroll,  from  whose 
discourse  the  following  extract,  relating  to  the  establish- 
ment of  the  American  Church,  will  prove  interesting : — 

"  Never,  perhaps,  was  this  truth  (that  the  formation 
of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  is  the  ultimate  object  of  the 

*  Catholic  Magazine,  1845,  p.  407;  Archbishop  Spalding's  Sketches  of  Kentucky, 
p.  62. 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  75 

whole  dispensation  of  Providence  in  the  government  of 
this  world)  more  sensibly  evinced,  than  in  the  late  violent 
convulsions  by  which  the  hand  of  the  Almighty  has  dis- 
membered the   great  British    Empire   in   the  Western 
world,  the  destinies  of  which,  we  trust,  are  founded  in 
His  tenderest  mercies.     For,  although  this  great  event 
may  appear  to  us  to  have  been  the  work — the  sport  of 
human  passions,  yet  the  earliest  and  most  precious  fruit 
of  it  has  been  the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 
the  propagation  of  the  Catholic  religion,  which,  hereto- 
fore fettered  by  restraining  laws,  is  now  enlarged  from 
bondage,  and  is  left  at  liberty  to  exert  the  full  energy  of 
divine  truth.     Already  is  Catholicity  extended  to  the  ut- 
most boundaries  of  the  immense  continent  of  America ; 
thousands  are  there  earnestly  demanding  Catholic  in- 
structors, and  all,  penetrated  with  reverence  for  the  Apos- 
tolic See  of  St.  Peter,  have  concurred  to  demand  from 
his  successor  a  Catholic  prelate,  whose  knowledge  and 
whose  zeal  may  establish  the  faith  of  Peter  upon  the 
ruins  of  those  errors  which  the  first  inhabitants  carried 
forth  with  them  from  this  country.     But  if  Britain  in- 
fected them  with  error,  we  have  the  consolation  to  know 
that  their  Catholicity  is  also  derived  immediately  from 
us ;  and  as  we  in  former  ages  received  the  faith  from 
the  great  St.   Gregory  and  our  apostle,  St.  Austin,  so 
now,  at  the  interval  of  twelve  hundred  years,  our  venera- 
ble prelate,  the  heir  of  the  virtues  and  labors  of  our 
apostle,  will  this  day,  by  commission  from  the  successor 
of  St.  Gregory,  consecrate  the  first  father  and  bishop  of 
the  new  Church,  destined,  as  we  confide,  to  inherit  those 
benedictions  which  the  first  called  have  ungratefully  re- 
jected.     Glorious    is   this    day,    my    brethren,    for   the 
Church  of  God,  which  sees  new  nations  crowding  into 


76  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

her  bosom  ;  glorious  for  the  prelate  elect,  who  goes  forth 
to  conquer  those  nations  for  Jesus  Christ,  not  by  the 
efforts  of  human  power,  but  in  the  might  of  those 
weapons  which  have  ever  triumphed  in  this  divine  war- 
fare :  he  is  not  armed  with  the  strength  of  this  world, 
but  he  is  powerful  in  piety,  powerful  in  zeal,  powerful  in 
evangelical  poverty,  and  firm  reliance  on  the  protection 
of  that  God  who  sends  him."* 

Bishop  Carroll  remained  in  England  sufficiently  long 
to  complete  important  business  arrangements  relating  to 
the  establishment  of  a  Sulpitian  Seminary  at  Baltimore, 
and  the  founding  of  the  Academy  at  Georgetown,  to 
both  of  which  allusion  will  be  made  hereafter.  In  leav- 
ing England,  where  he  had  at  two  important  periods  of 
his  life  received  such  extraordinary  kindness  and  atten- 
tion, he  felt  a  profound  regret  at  being  separated  from 
such  dear  and  good  friends,  especially  from  the  members 
of  the  late  Society  of  Jesus  and  the  noble  occupants  of 
Lulworth  Castle.  With  reference  to  the  latter,  the  ear- 
nest emotions  of  his  grateful  heart,  on  the  eve  of  depart- 
ure, found  expression  in  these  words : — "  Long  shall  I 
retain  the  impression  made  on  me  at  Lulworth,  by  the 
goodness,  the  charity,  the  loveliness  of  every  branch  of 
that  most  respectable  family,  and  I  am  sure  my  heart 
will  be  full  of  the  gratefullest  emotions  when  I  shall  sail 
abreast  of  the  Castle." 

It  is  a  singular  coincidence  that,  in  going  and  return- 
ing, Bishop  Carroll  met  as  a  fellow-passenger  on  the 
same  vessel  Dr.  Madison,  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Bishop  of  Virginia,  who  went  at  the  same  time  to  Eng- 
land for  episcopal  institution  in  his  own  church.  It  may 
be  mentioned,  as  proof  of  the  remarkable  faculty  pos- 

*  Dr.  White's  Appendix. 


Most  Rev.  John   Carroll,  D.D.  77 

sessed  by  Bishop  Carroll  of  winning  the  esteem  and 
friendship  of  all  with  whom  he  was  brought  in  contact, 
that  Dr.  Madison,  during  the  acquaintance  thus  formed 
with  him,  conceived  the  highest  esteem  and  attachment 
for  Bishop  Carroll,  which  continued  during  his  life. 

Bishop  Carroll  arrived  at  Baltimore  December  7,  1790, 
and  was  received  on  landing  by  a  large  concourse  of  his 
Catholic  and  non-Catholic  fellow-citizens,  with  enthusias- 
tic demonstrations  of  joy  and  veneration.  On  the  fol- 
lowing Sunday  he  was  formally  installed  in  the  episcopal 
office,  in  accordance  with  the  rites  of  the  Roman  Pontifi- 
cal. His  address  on  this  occasion  throws  so  much  light 
on  the  admirable  character  of  Bishop  Carroll,  that  some 
portions  of  it  should  be  introduced  here.  He  said  :— 

"  This  day/my  dear  brethren,  impresses  deeply  on  my 
mind  a  lively  sense  of  the  new  relation  in  which  I  stand 
now  before  you.  You  have  often  heard  my  voice  within 
these  walls ;  and  often  have  I  used  my  feeble  endeavors 
to  rouse  you  from  the  sleep  of  sin,  and  to  awake  in  you 
the  sentiments  of  virtue  and  practical  piety.  But  when  I 
thus  addressed  you,  I  considered  it  indeed  as  my  obliga- 
tion to  admonish  and  instruct  you  ;  but  I  did  not  view  it 
as  an  indissoluble  obligation.  My  superintendence  over 
your  spiritual  concerns  was  of  such  a  nature  that  I  could 
relinquish  it,  or  be  removed  from  it  at  pleasure.  But 
now  the  hand  of  Providence  (ah,  may  I  hope  it  is  not 
an  angry,  but  a  Providence  merciful  to  you  and  me) — the 
hand  of  Providence  has  formed  an  indissoluble  tie — has 
bound  me  by  an  obligation  which  I  can  never  renounce 
—an  obligation  of  ever  attending  to  your  eternal  inter- 
ests ;  of  watching  perpetually  over  your  conduct ;  of 
stemming,  to  the  utmost  of  my  power,  the  torrent  of  vice 
and  irreligion  ;  of  conducting  you  in  the  ways  of  virtue, 


78  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

and  leading  you  to  the  haven  of  eternal  bliss.  The 
shade  of  retirement  and  solitude  must  no  longer  be  my 
hope  and  prospect  of  consolation.  Often  have  I  flattered 
myself  that  my  declining  years  would  be  indulged  in  such 
a  state  of  rest  from  labor  and  solicitude  for  others,  as 
would  leave  me  the  best  opportunity  of  attending  to  the 
great  concern  of  my  own  salvation,  and  of  confining  my- 
self to  remember  my  last  years  in  the  bitterness  of 
compunction.  But  it  has  pleased  God  to  order  other- 
wise ;  and  though  my  duty  commands  submission,  it 
cannot  allay  my  fears — those  fears  which  I  feel  for  you 
and  for  myself.  For,  my  God !  how  much  reason  have  I 
not  to  fear  for  myself,  when  I  view  the  extent  of  my  du- 
ties, on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other,  my  weakness 
and  natural  inability  to  fulfil  them.  In  this,  my  new  sta- 
tion, if  my  life  be  not  one  continued  instruction  and  ex- 
ample of  virtue  to  the  people  committed  to  my  charge,  it 
will  become,  in  the  sight  of  God,  a  life  not  only  useless, 
but  even  pernicious. 

"It  is  no  longer  enough  for  me  to  be  inoffensive  in 
my  conduct  and  regular  in  my  manners.  God  now  im- 
poses a  severer  duty  upon  me.  I  shall  incur  the  guilt  of 
violating  my  pastoral  office,  if  all  my  endeavors  be  not 
directed  to  bring  your  lives  and  all  your  actions  to  a  con- 
formity with  the  laws  of  God ;  to  exhort,  to  conjure,  to 
reprove,  to  enter  into  all  your  sentiments  ;  to  feel  all  your 
infirmities ;  to  be  all  things  to  all,  that  I  may  gain  all  to 
Christ ;  to  be  superior  to  human  respects ;  to  have  noth- 
ing in  view  but  God  and  your  salvation ;  to  sacrifice  to 
these  health,  peace,  reputation,  and  even  life  itself;  to 
hate  sin,  and  yet  love  the  sinner ;  to  repress  the  turbu- 
lent ;  to  encourage  the  timid ;  to  watch  over  the  conduct 
of  even  the  ministers  of  religion  ;  to  be  patient  and 


Most  Rev.  John   Carroll,  D.D.  79 

meek  ;  to  embrace  all  kinds  of  persons  ; — these  are  now 
my  duties — extensive,  pressing,  and  indispensable  duties ; 
these  are  the  duties  of  all  my  brethren  in  the  episcopacy, 
and  surely  important  enough  to  fill  us  with  terror.  But 
there  are  others  still  more  burdensome  to  be  borne  by  me 
in  this  particular  portion  of  Christ's  Church  which  is  com- 
mitted to  my  charge,  and  where  everything  is  to  be  raised, 
as  it  were,  from  its  foundation  ;  to  establish  ecclesiastical 
discipline  ;  to  devise  means  for  the  religious  education  of 
Catholic  youth — that  precious  portion*  of  pastoral  solici 
tude  ;  to  provide  an  establishment  for  training  up  minis- 
ters for  the  sanctuary  and  the  service  of  religion,  that  we 
may  no  longer  depend  on  foreign  and  uncertain  coadju- 
tors ;  not  to  leave  unassisted  any  of  the  faithful  who  are 
scattered  through  this  immense  continent ;  to  preserve 
their  faith  untainted  amidst  the  contagion  of  error  sur- 
rounding them  on  all  sides  ;  to  preserve  in  their  hearts 
a  warm  charity  and  forbearance  toward  every  other  de- 
nomination of  Christians ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  pre- 
serve them  from  that  fatal  indifference  which  views  all 
religions  as  equally  acceptable  to  God  and  salutary  to 
men.  Ah !  when  I  consider  these  additional  duties,  my 
heart  sinks  almost  under  the  impression  of  terror  which 
conies  upon  it.  In  God  alone  can  I  find  my  consolation. 
He  knows  by  what  steps  I  have  been  conducted  to  this 
important  station,  and  how  much  I  have  always  dreaded 
it.  He  will  not  abandon  me,  unless  I  first  draw  down  His 
malediction  by  my  unfaithfulness  to  my  charge.  Pray, 
dear  brethren,  pray  incessantly  that  I  may  not  incur  so 
dreadful  a  punishment.  Alas !  the  punishment  would  fall  on 
you,  and  deprive  you  of  some  of  the  means  of  salvation. 

"The  fears    which    trouble    me    on    my  own  account 
would  receive  some  abatement,  if  I  could  be  assured  of 


8o  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

your  steady  adherence  to  the  duties  of  your  holy  reli- 
gion. But  how  can  I  be  assured  of  this  when  I  recollect 
what  experience  has  taught  me,  and  that  worldly  conta- 
gion, example,  influence,  and  respect,  together  with  im- 
petuous passions,  seek,  perpetually  to  plunge  you  into 
habits  of  vice,  and  afterward  into  everlasting  misery ; 
and  when  I  know  that  not  one  soul  will  perish  from 
amongst  you,  of  which  God  will  not  demand  of  me,  as  its 
shepherd,  a  most  severe  account.  Unhappily  at  this  time 
a  spirit  of  infidelity  is  prevalent,  and  dares  to  attempt  the 
subversion  of  even  the  fences  which  guard  virtue  and 
purity  of  body  and  mind.  Licentiousness  of  discourse 
and  the  arts  of  seduction  are  practised  without  shame, 
and,  it  would  seem,  without  remorse.  Ah  !  will  it  be  in  my 
power  to  oppose  these  fatal  engines  of  vice  and  immo- 
rality ?  Dear  brethren,  allow  me  to  appeal  to  your  con 
sciences ;  question  them  with  candor  and  truth.  Can  I 
say  more  to  bring  you  back  to  the  simplicity  of  faith,  to 
the  humble  docility  of  a  disciple  of  Jesus,  to  the  fervent 
practice  of  Christian  duties,  than  I  have  said  to  you 
heretofore  ?  But  what  reformation  followed  then  my 
earnest  entreaties  and  exhortations  ?  Was  prayer  more 
used  ?  Were  parents  more  assiduous  in  the  instruction 
of  their  children  ?  Were  their  examples  more  edifying  ? 
Was  swearing  and  blaspheming  diminished  ?  Was  drunk- 
enness suppressed  ?  Was  idleness  extirpated  ?  Was 
injustice  abolished  ?  May  I  hope  that  on  this  occasion 
God  will  shower  down  more  abundant  graces  ;  that  your 
hearts  will  be  turned  from  the  love  of  the  world  to  the 
love  of  Him  ?  If  I  could  be  so  happy  as  to  see  prevailing 
among  you  such  exercises  of  piety  as  evidenced  your  at- 
tachment to  religion,  and  your  zeal  for  your  salvation, 
I  shoul  myself  be  relieved  from  much  of  my  solicitude — 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  81 

prayer;  attendance  on  holy  mass ;  frequentation  of  the  holy 
sacraments ;  humble  docility  to  the  advice  and  admonition 
of  your  pastor.  '  Obey,'  says  St.  Paul,  '  those  who  are  put 
over  you,  as  having  to  render  to  God  an  account  for  your 
souls.'" 

This  admirable  discourse,  in  which  we  are  struck  with 
the  humility  and  sincerity  of  the  noble  and  distinguished 
preacher,  in  adverting  chiefly  to  his  own  conscience, 
conduct,  and  duties,  and  in  expressions  of  his  own  un- 
worthiness  and  inadequacy,  closed  with  an  earnest  ap- 
peal to  his  audience  to  cultivate  a  true  devotion  to  the 
Mother  of  God,  under  whose  special  patronage  he  had 
placed  his  vast  diocese.* 

"Rie  task  imposed  upon  Bishop  Carroll  by  the  Holy  See, 
in  creating  him  sole  Bishop  of  the  United  States,  would 
have  been  appalling  to  any  one  not  possessed  of  that  calm 
energy  and  courageous  resolution  which  were  so  conspicu- 
ous in  the  life  and  character  of  that  illustrious  prelate. 
It  was  not  so  much  the  numbers  of  his  flock,  as  their  scat- 
tered condition,  the  vast  empire  over  which  they  were  dis- 
persed, the  varied  circumstances  of  Stares  and  climates, 
the  inconveniences  and  delays  of  personal  or  postal  com- 
munications, and  the  fewness  of  the  laborers  to  assist  him, 
that  rendered  his  office  and  duties  so  onerous  and  embar- 
rassing. His  solicitude  was  greatly  increased  by  the  nu- 
merous applications  sent  to  him  from  all  parts  for  priests. 
He  proceeded  with  vigor  and  zeal,  yet  with  calm  and  judi- 
cious deliberation,  to  provide  as  far  as  possible  for  the  pres- 
sing wants  of  the  Church,  and  to  overcome  the  difficulties 
of  his  position.  His  embarrassments  were  greatly  relieved 
by  the  advent  of  pious,  learned,  and  zealous  clergymen, 
driven  to  our  shores  by  the  waves  of  European  revolutions. 

*  Rev.  Dr.  White's  Appendix. 


82  Lives  of  l/ic  Catholic  BisJiops. 

As  early  as  1791,  Bishop  Carroll  had  visited  a  consid- 
erable portion  of  his  vast  diocese,  extending  his  visit  to 
the  eastward  as  far  as  Boston.  One  of  the  objects  of  his 
visit  to  Boston  was  to  settle  disputes  which  had  unfortu- 
nately risen  between  the  pastors  of  that  place,  and  which 
greatly  disedified  both  Catholics  and  Protestants.  He 
wiites  of  his  visit  to  Boston,  in  1791,  as  follows: — "It  is 
wonderful  to  tell  what  great  civilities  have  been  done  to 
me  in  this  town,  where,  a  few  years  ago,  a  Papist  priest 
was  thought  to  be  the  greatest  monster  in  creation. 
Many  here,  even  of  their  principal  people,  have  acknowl- 
edged to  me  that  they  would  have  crossed  to  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  street,  rather  than  meet  a  Roman  Catho- 
lic, some  time  ago.  The  horror  which  was  associated 
with  the  idea  of  papist,  is  incredible ;  and  the  scandalous 
misrepresentations  by  their  ministers  increased  the  horror 
every  Sunday.  If  all  the  Catholics  here  were  united, 
their  number  would  be  about  one  hundred  and  twenty." 

His  efforts  to  secure  priests  from  Europe  were  indefa- 
tigable ;  and  while  he  sincerely  lamented  the  calamities 
that  afflicted  the  Church  in  France,  he  felt  and  express- 
ed the  most  profound  gratitude  to  the  exiled  French 
clergy,  who  came  as  missionaries  and  apostles  to  our 
needy  and  impoverished  Church,  as  so  many  spiritual 
architects  to  erect  in  the  new  world  altars  to  the  living- 
God,  to  supply  the  places  of  those  which  had  been  over- 
turned in  the  old  world.  "  It  is  a  melancholy  reflection," 
he  said,  "that  we  owe  so  great  a  blessing  to  the  lament- 
able catastrophe  in  France."  A  few  extracts  from  some 
of  his  letters  will  give  us  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  condition 
of  i  ^ligion  and  the  mode  of  conducting  the  labors  of  the 
ministry  in  the  United  States  at  that  time.  In  a  letter  to 
a  friend  in  Europe,  the  prelate  thus  describes  a  frequent 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  83 

expedient  to  which  recourse  was  had  in  announcing  the  gos- 
pel to  the  people: — "  I  am,  I  own,  principally  solicitous  to 
form  establishments  which  will  be  lasting.  To  pass  through 
a  village  where  a  Roman  Catholic  clergyman  was  never 
before  seen ;  to  borrow  from  the  parson  the  use  of  his 
meeting  house  or  church,  in  order  to  preach  a  sermon ; 
to  go  or  send  about  the  village,  giving  notice  at  every 
house  that  a  priest  is  to  preach  at  a  certain  house,  and 
th'ere  to  enlarge  on  the  doctrines  of  our  Church;  this  is 
a  mode  adopted  by  some  amongst  us  for  the  propagation 
of  religion.  But  I  would  rather  see  a  priest  fixed  for  a 
continuance  in  the  same  place,  with  a  growing  congrega- 
tion under  him,  than  twenty  such  itinerant  preachers. 
The  only  effect  which  I  have  seen  from  these,  is  to  make 
people  gaze  for  a  time,  and  say  that  the  preacher  is  a 
good  or  bad  one ;  but  as  soon  as  he  is  gone  on  his  way, 
to  think  no  more  of  him."  Another  letter  conveys  some 
idea  of  his  labors,  and  of  the  humble  manner  in  which 
the  first  Bishop  discharged  his  episcopal  and  missionary 
labors  and  duties  : — "  Such  has  been  my  continual  occu- 
pation since  my  return,  that  I  have  not  yet  had  leisure  to 
convoke  a  diocesan  synod.  If  possible,  one  must  be 
held  early  in  November.  The  business  of  a  coadjutor, 
and  many  regulations  to  be  formed,  call  loudly  for  the 
holding  of  such  a  meeting.  My  diocese  is  yet  badly  reg- 
ulated, and  it  cannot  be  much  better  till  I  can  command 
more  time  to  form  regulations.  Being  all  alone,  to  an- 
swer all  letters,  to  copy  them,  to  attend  to  all  details, 
much  of  course  is  neglected  or  forgotten.  If  I  do  not 
write  you  as  often  or  as  fully  as  you  have  a  right  to  ex- 
pect, you  must  not  impute  the  fault  to  me,  but  to  una- 
voidable hindrances.  I  assure  you  that  there  are  twenty 
people  in  this  town  (Baltimore)  to  whom  I  owe,  anJ 


84  Lives  of  the   Catholic  Bishops. 

wish  to  pay,  the  respect  of  a  civil  visit,  without  having 
been  able  to  do  so  for  many  months;  though  I  am  busy 
from  five  in  the  morning  till  between  ten  and  eleven  at 
night." 

The  most  distant  and  desolate  portions  of  his  vast  dio- 
cese received  the  paternal  succor  of  Bishop  Carroll ;  and 
soon  after  his  consecration  his  zealous  and  hardy  mis 
sionaries  were  gathering  together  in  remote  and  wild 
settlements  the  Catholics  who  had  found  their  adven- 
turous way  to  the  borders  of  civilization.  The  Indians 
of  Maine,  the  descendants  of  Father  Rale's  devoted 
flock,  became  early  objects  of  his  solicitude.  Hearing 
that  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  had  appointed  a  Father  over 
the  American  Church,  those  simple  but  devout  sons  of 
the  Eastern  forests  made  known  their  wants  and  pre- 
sented their  petitions,  after  the  manner  of  their  race,  by 
a  speech  accompanied  with  a  symbol  (a  crucifix],  mute 
but  touching  memento  of  their  faith  and  of  their  con- 
stancy. The  Bishop,  moved  by  this  beautiful  appeal, 
embraced  the  crucifix  and  returned  it  to  them,  according 
to  the  Indian  custom,  and  addressed  to  them  an  affec- 
tionate pastoral  letter,  and  promised  to  send  them  pas- 
tors as  soon  as  he  could  procure  them  from  Europe. 
He  immediately  sent  to  Europe  to  procure  two  priests 
for  this  mission,  promising  that  their  support  should  be 
no  charge  upon  the  Indians,  at  least  not  for  several 
years,  when  their  increased  numbers  would  better  enable 
them  to  bear  the  expense.  This  beautiful  letter  of  the 
prelate  to  his  tawny  children  of  the  East  is  too  interesting 
to  be  omitted  :— 

"  Brethren  and  Beloved  Children  in  Jesus  Christ : 
"  I  received  with  the  greatest  pleasure  the  testimony 
of  your  attachment  to  your  holy  religion,  and  I  venerated 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  85 

the  sacred  crucifix  sent  by  you,  as  expressive  of  your 
faith. 

"  Brethren  and  Children  :— 

"  I  embrace  you  with  the  affection  of  a  father,  and  am 
exceedingly  desirous  to  procure  for  you  a  worthy  teacher 
and  minister  of  God's  holy  sanctuary,  who  may  adminis- 
ter to  your  young  people,  to  your  sons  and  daughters, 
the  sacrament  of  baptism  ;  may  instruct  them  and  you  in 
the  law  of  God,  and  the  exercises  of  a  Christian  life ; 
may  reconcile  you  to  God,  your  Lord  and  Maker,  after 
all  your  transgressions ;  and  may  perform  for  your  wo- 
men, after  child-bearing,  the  rites  ordained  by  the  Church 
of  Christ. 

"  Brethren  and  Beloved  Children  : — 

"  As  soon  as  I  received  your  request,  and  was  in- 
formed of  your  necessity,  I  sent  for  one  or  two  virtuous 
and  worthy  priests  to  go  and  remain  with  you,  that  you 
may  never  more  be  reduced  to  the  same  distressed  situa- 
tion, in  which  you  have  lived  so  long.  But  as  they  are 
far  distant,  I  am  afraid  they  will  not  be  with  you  before 
the  putting  out  of  the  leaves  again.  This  should  have 
been  done  much  sooner,  if  I  had  been  informed  of  your 
situation.  You  may  depend  upon  it,  that  you  shall  be 
always  in  my  heart  and  in  my  mind ;  and  if  it  please 
God  to  give  me  time,  I  will  certainly  visit  you  myself. 

"  Brethren  and  Beloved  Children  :— 

"  I  trust  in  that  good  God,  who  made  us  all,  and  in 
His  Blessed  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  who  redeemed  us,  that 
all  the  Indians,  northward  and  eastward,  will  be  made 
partakers  of  the  blessing  which  my  desire  is  to  procure 
for  you  ;  and  I  rejoice  very  much  that  they  and  you  wish 
to  be  united  to  your  brethren,  the  Americans.  You  have 
done  very  well  not  to  receive  amongst  you  those  minis- 


86  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

ters  who  go  without  being  called,  or  sent  by  that  au 
thority  which  Jesus  Christ  has  established  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  His  Church.  Those  whom  I  shall  send  to 
you  will  be  such  good  and  virtuous  priests  as  instructed 
your  forefathers  in  the  law  of  God,  and  taught  them  to 
regard  this  life  only  as  a  preparation  for  and  a  passage 
to  a  better  life  in  heaven. 

"In  token  of  my  fatherly  love  and  sincere  affection,  I 
send  back  to  you,  after  embracing  it,  the  Holy  Crucifix, 
which  I  received  with  your  letter ;  and  I  inclose  it  in  a 
picture  of  Our  Holy  Father,  the  Pope,  the  Head  on 
Earth,  under  Christ,  of  our  Divine  Religion  ;  and  this  my 
answer  is  accompanied  likewise  with  nine  medals,  repre- 
senting our  Divine  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  his  most  Holy 
Mother.  I  desire  that  these  may  be  received  by  the 
Chiefs  of  the  River  St.  John's,  Passamaquady,  and  Mich- 
macs,  who  signed  the  address  to  me.  They  came  from, 
and  have  received  the  blessing  of  our  same  Holy  Father, 
the  Vicar  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Government  of  His 
Church. 

"  That  the  blessing  of  God  may  come  down  upon  you, 
your  women  and  children,  and  remain  forever,  is  the 
earnest  prayer  of 

"  Your  loving  Father,  friend,  and  servant  in 
Jesus  Christ, 

•f1  John,  Bishop  of  Baltimore. 

"Baltimore,  Sept.  6,  1791." 

In  the  midst  of  his  solicitude  for  the  whole  Church  of 
America,  Bishop  Carroll  never  lost  sight  of  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  the  Indians.  Had  it  been  in  his  power  he 
would  have  revived  the  Indian  missions  on  a  scale  equal 
to  the  French  missions  of  Canada  in  the  seventeenth  and 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  87 

eighteenth  centuries,  He  applied  to  President  Washing- 
ton for  governmental  assistance  in  this  great  work.  But 
the  President  under  our  Constitution  had  no  power  to 
grant  his  request.  Had  Congress  at  that  time  adopted 
the  policy  of  sending  Catholic  missionaries  amongst  the 
Indians,  how  different  would  have  been  the  fate  of  our 
aborigines  !  The  Indians  of  Maine  desired  union  with 
us,  and  other  tribes  would  have  done  the  same.  The 
French  missionaries,  a  century  before,  had  secured  their 
alliance  with  France  as  well  as  their  conversion  to  Chris- 
tianity. American  missionaries  could  have  done  the 
same  for  us  and  for  the  Indians  under  our  republic.  Had 
this  been  done,  a  sad  chapter  in  our  history  would  now 
have  been  one  of  the  brightest  pages  in  our  annals. 

Bishop  Carroll  kept  his  promise  to  the  Indians  of 
Maine.  He  sent  them  first  the  Rev.  Mr.  G'quard.  The 
saintly  Abb6  de  Matignon,  and  the  great  and  good  Che- 
verus,  were  then  stationed  at  Boston,  and  had  a  charge 
over  and  visited  these  Christian  tribes,  and  subsequently 
the  Rev.  Mr.  RomagnS  was  sent  to  Maine.  All  these 
zealous  missionaries,  in  the  midst  of  their  labors  in  the 
white  settlements,  were  attentive  and  devoted  friends 
and  pastors  to  these  rude,  but  earnest  children  of  the 
Church.  Bishop  Carroll  was  subsequently  enabled,  by 
the  arrival  of  the  banished  clergy  from  France,  to  send 
the  Rev.  Messrs.  Levadoux,  Richard,  and  Rivet,  to  labor 
among  the  French  inhabitants  and  Indian  tribes  of  Mich- 
igan and  the  Northwest. 

While  the  cleVgy  of  Maryland  were  temporally  pro- 
vided for  from  the  revenues  of  the  church-property  which 
they  possessed  in  common  in  that  State,  those  who  were 
settled  in  Pennsylvania  and  Kentucky  were,  in  many  in- 
stances, subjected  to  the  hardest  and  most  scanty  fare,  suf- 


88  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

fering  Tor  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  most  inadequately 
clothed  and  sheltered.  Father  Phelan,  in  West  Pennsyl- 
vania, wrote  to  Bishop  Carroll,  in  1795,  that  his  food 
three  times  a  day  consisted  of  bread  and  water  with  a  little 
burnt  grease  thrown  over  it ;  that  he  could  not  travel  for 
want  of  a  horse;  that  his  board,  which  "the  poverty  or 
meanness"  of  his  flock  rendered  them  unable  or  unwill- 
ing to  pay,  was  due,  and  that  he  received  the  most  harsh 
treatment  from  his  landlord  in  consequence  thereof;  and 
that  the  five  months  he  had  spent  there  were  five  months 
of  most  rigorous  and  continual  lent.  Another  priest 
near  Milltown,  Pennsylvania,  who  was  the  owner  of 
large  tracts  of  land,  wrote  to  the  bishop  to  send  him  as 
laborers  twenty  Connaught  men,  and  informed  him  that 
in  winter  he  was  obliged  to  accommodate  himself  in  one 
small  store-room  together  with  two  families  and  the 
smaller  animals  of  the  farm.  Another  priest  in  Ken- 
tucky writes  that  his  condition  was  so  intolerable  and  the 
treatment  so  cruel  he  received  from  his  landlord  and 
landlord's  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  an  Indian,  that  he 
compares  his  home  to  Bedlam,  or  a  den  of  wolves ;  and 
says,  "  I  hope  it  is  a  temporal  purgatory,  and  will  atone 
for  some  of  my  sins."*  The  condition  of  the  Catholic 
laity  in  those  then  remote  and  wild  portions  of  Bishop 
Carroll's  diocese  must  have  been  deplorable  indeed,  if 
we  judge  from  the  accounts  given  of  them  by  their  pas- 
tors, more  especially  as  the  sufferings  of  the  latter  were 
mainly  due  to  the  treatment  they  received  from  their 
own  flocks.  Such  are  some  of  the  examples  of  the 
poverty  and  destitution,  both  spiritual  and  material,  in 
which  were  plunged  some  of  the  communities  in  his 
diocese  at  the  commencement  of  the  episcopate  of 

*  Rev.  Dr.  White's  Appendix. 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  89 

Bishop  Carroll,  but  in  which,  before  his  death,  he  had 
established  not  only  flourishing  missions,  but  even  Epis 
copal  Sees. 

Bishop  Carroll  availed  himself  of  the  earliest  oppor 
tunity  afforded  him  by  the  numerous  and  pressing  duties, 
which  on  his  appointment  required  immediate  and  prompt 
action  on  his  part,  to  assemble  his  clergy  in  diocesan 
synod.  In  obedience  to  his  call  they  assembled  to  the 
number  of  twenty-two,  at  Baltimore,  November  7,  1791. 
This  auspicious  event  was  announced  to  the  clergy  by 
the  bishop  in  a  circular,  in  which  he  said:  "The  neces- 
sity of  consulting  together  on  the  means  of  continuing 
the  episcopacy  of  the  United  States,  for  the  decent  or- 
dering of  divine  worship,  and  uniformity  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  sacraments,  and  discipline  of  the  diocese 
and  clergy,  and  devising  means,  if  possible,  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  ministers  of  religion;  these  are  the  princi- 
pal objects  which  will  engage  your  attention."  Five 
sessions  of  the  venerable  assembly  took  place,  and  were 
presided  over  by  Bishop  Carroll.  The  salutary  statutes 
adopted  by  this  first  ecclesiastical  synod  held  in  the 
United  States,  related  to  the  administration  of  the  sac- 
raments, the  celebration  of  divine  service,  the  main- 
tenance of  the  clergy,  the  subdivision  of  the  diocese  or 
appointment  of  a  coadjutor,  and  other  important  sub- 
jects, and  have,  in  many  respects,  by  their  wisdom  and 
good  results,  impressed  themselves  permanently  upon 
the  legislation  of  the  American  Church.  The  bishop, 
not  long  after  the  adjournment  of  the  synod,  addressed 
to  his  flock,  or  rather  to  the  whole  Church  of  the  United 
States,  an  admirable  pastoral  letter,  in  which  he  pub- 
lished several  of  the  more  public  statutes  adopted,  and 
admonished  and  appealed  to  the  people  on  several  im- 


90  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

portant  subjects  connected  with  the  interests  of  religion. 
Among  the  subjects  prominently  mentioned  by  him  in 
this  address,  may  be  specified  the  instruction  of  youth, 
the  support  of  "  Georgetown  Academy,"  the  providing 
of  a  clergy  for  the  country  and  an  ecclesiastical  semi- 
nary, providing  the  necessary  churches  and  church-furni- 
ture, the  support  of  the  priesthood,  attendance  at  mass 
and  the  sacraments,  morality  among  the  people,  prayers 
for  the  departed,  the  invocation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
Mary,  under  whose  special  patronage  he  placed  his  dio- 
cese, and  the  devout  celebration  of  the  feast  of  the  As- 
sumption, for  which  he  had  asked  particular  blessings  and 
indulgences  from  the  Holy  See.  The  bishop  and  clergy 
assembled  in  synod  petitioned  the  Holy  See,  either  to 
divide  the  United  States  into  several  dioceses,  or  to 
appoint  a  coadjutor  bishop  of  Baltimore ;  for  it  was 
evident  to  all,  that  even  Bishop  Carroll's  energy,  zeal, 
and  capacity,  while  animating  him  with  the  will,  did  not 
yet  confer  upon  him  the  ubiquitous  faculty  of  visiting 
and  providing  for  so  vast  a  field.  This  measure,  how- 
ever, was  not  accomplished  until  the  year  1800,  when  it 
was  determined  to  give  the  bishop  a  coadjutor;  and  the 
Rev.  Leonard  Neale  was  consecrated  Bishop  of  Gortyna 
in  partibus,  and  appointed  coadjutor  of  Baltimore. 

In  1788,  while  yet  Vicar-General  and  Superior  of  the 
clergy,  Bishop  Carroll  had  commenced  the  foundation 
of  Georgetown  College.  His  plan  embraced  a  theolog- 
ical seminary  to  conduct  the  studies  of  candidates  for 
the  priesthood,  and  an  academy  for  the  education  of 
youth.  The  site  selected  by  its  founder  for  this  first  and 
oldest  of  our  colleges  could  not  have  been  more  judi- 
ciously chosen,  either  for  health,  advantages  of  location, 
or  beauty  and  grandeur  of  scenery.  The  first  house 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  91 

was  erected  in  1789;  the  institution  was  opened  the  fol 
lowing  year,  though  the  classes  of  the  academy  did  not 
commence  till  1791 ;  and  towards  the  close  of  the  year, 
the  Rev.  Richard  Plunkett  was  regularly  inducted  as  the 
first  president  of  the  college.  The  poverty  of  the  Amer- 
ican Church,  the  constant  demands  upon  the  bishop's 
time,  his  efforts  to  erect  churches  and  supply  pastors  in 
all  sections  of  the  country,  the  sparseness  of  the  Catho- 
lic population,  and  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  suitable 
officers  and  teachers,  will  convey  some  idea  of  the  arduous 
task  undertaken  t>y  Bishop  Carroll  in  the  establishment 
of  a  college  at  that  early  day.  After  his  consecration  in 
London,  in  1790,  he  obtained  liberal  donations  from  his 
English  friends  for  the  new  college ;  and  he  never  faltered 
in  the  work,  but  continued  to  cherish  and  sustain  it  with 
paternal  care  during  his  life.  In  his  selection  of  the 
three  first  presidents,  Fathers  Plunkett,  Molyneux,  and 
Neale,  he  proved  his  zeal  for  its  welfare,  and  his  sound 
judgment  in  its  management.  In  1815  Congress  raised 
the  college  to  the  rank  of  a  university,  and,  in  1851,  the 
medical  department  was  opened,  and  more  recently  the 
law  department.  Its  subsequent  and  continued  career 
of  usefulness  and  honor  attest  how  great  is  the  debt 
of  gratitude  due  from  the  American  Church  to  her  first 
bishop,  for  his  efforts  as  the  friend  of  education. 

That  part  of  Bishop  Carroll's  plan,  which  contem- 
plated the  connection  of  a  theological  seminary  with 
Georgetown  College,  was  subsequently  changed,  and 
found  its  further  development  in  the  establishment  of  St. 
Mary's  College  in  Baltimore.  While  in  London,  in 
1790,  Bishop  Carroll  received  an  important  communica- 
tion from  the  Very  Rev.  Mr.  Emery,  Superior-General 
of  the  Sulpirinns  in  France,  who  had  become  alarmed 


92  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

for  the  safety  of  the  religious  institutions  of  his  Order  in 
that  country,  in  consequence  of  the  increasing  violence 
of  the  revolution.  This  communication  opened  the  sub- 
ject of  establishing  a  seminary  of  St.  Sulpice  in  America. 
Our  bishop  cordially  entered  into  and  encouraged  the 
proposal  of  Father  Emery  ;  and  the  Rev.  Charles  Nagot, 
in  behalf  of  his  Superior,  visited  London,  and  concluded 
an  arrangement  with  the  bishop  for  that  purpose.  It 
was  not  long  before  this  auspicious  movement  was  car- 
ried into  effect,  and  the  first  colony  of  Sulpitians,  com- 
posed of  Rev.  Mr.  Nagot,  as  Superior,  and.  the  Rev. 
Messrs.  Gamier,  Tessier,  Delavau,  Levadoux,  and  five 
young  seminarians,  arrived  at  Baltimore,  July  10,  1791. 
They  had  as  companion  on  their  voyage  the  young 
Chateaubriand,  who  was  then  in  pursuit  of  a  northwest 
passage  to  China,  which  was  one  of  the  visions  of  his 
youth.  Bishop  Carroll  was  at  Boston  at  the  time  of  the 
arrival  of  these  holy  men,  whom,  however,  on  his  return, 
he  embraced  with  every  demonstration  of  joy  and  pater- 
nal affection  and  gratitude.  He  had,  before  his  departure 
on  his  northern  and  eastern  visitation,  rented  a  house  for 
their  accommodation,  and  subsequently,  at  his  sugges- 
tion, the  present  site  was  selected  and  purchased  for  the 
erection  of  a  seminary  and  college.  The  theological 
seminary  and  academy  had  already  been  opened  at 
Georgetown,  but  the  union  of  the  two  was  not  of  long 
continuance  at  that  time,  for  the  seminary  was  trans- 
ferred to  St.  Mary's.  The  Jesuit  Fathers  subsequently 
established  an  extensive  and  flourishing  theological  de- 
partment of  their  own  at  Georgetown ;  and  the  latter 
has  been  followed  up,  in  very  recent  times,  by  the 
establishment  of  the  magnificent  College  of  Wood- 
stock, Harford  County,  Maryland,  under  the  govern- 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  93 

ment  of  its  founder,  the  Rev.  Father  Paresce.  Founded 
in  1792,  St.  Mary's  was  raised  to  the  rank  of  a  ui.iversity 
in  1805,  by  the  Legislature  of  Maryland.  The  collegiate 
department  continued  its  useful  career  in  the  education 
of  youth  till  1852,  when  it  was  discontinued,  and  Loyola 
College,  under  the  charge  of  the  Jesuits,  took  its 
place  in  Baltimore.  The  theological  seminary,  so  long 
the  nursery  of  the  secular  priesthood  and  missions,  still 
continues  its  exalted  career.  It  is  thus  that  the  seeds 
planted  by  Bishop  Carroll  have  grown  up  to  be  majestic 
trees  in  our  day,  and  have  bestowed  their  abundant 
fruits  upon  several  generations. 

Dr.  Carroll  was  also  one  of  three  commissioners  ap 
pointed  by  the  State  of  Maryland  to  establish  the  State 
institution  at  Annapolis,  St.  John's  College,  from  whose 
faculty  he  afterwards  received  the  degree  of  LL.D.  He 
also  received  the  degree  of  D.D.  and  that  of  LL.D. 
from  other  colleges  and  universities  in  the  United 
States. 

Early  in  his  episcopal  career,  and  after  he  had  begun 
to  issue  pastorals  or  other  documents,  addressed  to 
those  who  recognized  his  spiritual  authority,  to  which  he 
subscribed  his  name  and  title  as,  "  John,  Bishop  of  Balti- 
more'' a  singular  manifestation  of  bigotry  was  made  by 
some  writer,  in  one  of  the  public  prints,  over  the  inap- 
propriate signature  of  "Liberal"  in  which  grave  objec- 
tion was  made  to  his  assumption  of  such  a  title.  The 
article  was  entitled,  "  Strictures  on  an  Extraordinary 
Signature"  But  the  bishop,  by  his  dignified  and 
cogent  reply,  silenced  forever  the  frivolous  objection. 

On  February  3,  1796,  the  pious  and  venerable  mother 
of  Bishop  Carroll,  to  whom  he  was  so  devoted  a  son, 
and  to  whom,  under  God,  he  was  indebted  for  so  much 


94  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

that  was  excellent  in  his  own  character,  departed  this 
life  in  the  ninety-third  year  of  her  age,  in  the  full  enjoy- 
ment of  her  intellectual  faculties,  and  abounding  in  senti- 
ments the  most  holy  and  devout.  The  son,  who  in 
youth  had  so  dutifully  obeyed  her,  and  in  manhood  had 
made  so  many  sacrifices  to  be  near  her  and  minister  to 
her  spiritual  wants,  was  now  equally  prompt,  in  the  midst 
of  his  exalted  duties  and  ripening  honors,  to  repair  to  the 
death  scene  of  so  good  a  parent,  and  surround  it  with 
every  filial  sympathy  and  every  religious  consolation. 

Bishop  Carroll,  anxious  as  he  was  to  provide  the  means 
of  Catholic  education-  for  young  men,  and  for  such  also  as 
aspired  to  the  sacred  ministry,  was  not  less  solicitous  for 
Catholic  female  education,  and  for  the  encouragement  of 
female  religious  orders.  The  Carmelites  established  a 
convent  in  Charles  County,  Maryland,  in  1790,  the  year 
of  his  consecration,  though  they  afterwards  removed  to 
Baltimore ;  and  the  Visitation  Nuns  founded  their  first 
house  in  Georgetown.  The  spiritual  charge  of  these  he 
committed  to  his  saintly  coadjutor,  who  was  in  fact  their 
immediate  founder.*  The  encouragement  and  firm 
establishment  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  under  his  foster- 
ing care  and  encouragement,  constitute  one  of  the 
brightest  pages  in  the  history  of  his  splendid  -administra- 
tion. Mother  Seton,  from  the  time  of  her  conversion, 
through  all  her  trials  and  struggles,  and  her  community, 
were  special  objects  of  his  tender  and  paternal  solicitude 
and  bounty.  The  holy  friendship  which  subsisted  be- 
tween him  and  Mother  Seton,  is  among  the  most  beauti- 
ful passages  in  the  lives  of  both.  He  had  consoled  and 
counseled  her  in  her  moments  of  trial,  and,  in  the  hands 
of  Providence,  had  been  one  of  the  instruments  of  her 

*  See  Life  of  Archbishop  Neale,/0j/ 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  95 

conversion.  This  excellent  and  remarkable  lady  looked 
to  him  as  a  father  and  protector  in  every  trouble.  In 
one  of  his  letters  to  her,  after  laying  before  her  motives 
and  considerations  for  confirming  her  courage  and  perse- 
verance, he  requested  to  be  remembered  by  her  children 
in  their  "  innocent  prayers,"  and  concluded  his  letter  thus : 
"  Whatever  I  hear,  or  learn  of  you,  increases  my  solici- 
tude, respect,  and  admiration.  But  attribute  no  merit 
to  yourself  on  this  account.  Whatever  is  estimable  in 
you,  either  by  nature  or  grace,  is  God's  gift,  and  His 
property ;  and  it  is  beneath  the  dignity  of  a  Christian, 
who  has  ever  meditated  on  the  folly  as  well  as  the  crimi- 
nality of  pride,  to  glory  in  that  which  belongs  not  to 
him."  The  institution  of  Mother  Seton  was  founded 
at  Emmittsburg  under  his  approbation  and  encourage- 
ment, which  he  never  ceased  to  extend  to  her  and  her 
sisterhood.  He  frequently  visited  St.  Joseph's  at  the 
assumption  of  the  habit,  renewal  of  vows,  consecration 
of  the  chapel,  and  on  many  other  interesting,  solemn, 
and  important  occasions.  Writing  from  St.  Joseph's  to 
a  friend  in  Europe,  Mother  Seton  says  of  Archbishop 
Carroll :  "  He  is  now  more  my  protector  than  ever, 
more  truly  attached  to  us,  and,  finally,  takes  the  supe- 
rior charge  of  our  house,  which  at  first  he  had  bestowed 
upon  another." 

When  called  upon  to  give  a  final  sanction  to  the  per- 
manent rule  adopted  for  the  community  of  the  Sisters  of 
Charity,  Archbishop  Carroll  commenced  his  letter  in  a 
strain  which  throws  much  light  upon  his  singularly  fine 
and  majestic,  yet  beautiful  and  amiable,  character.  "  Shall 
I  confess,"  said  he,  "  that  I  am  deeply  humiliated  by  be- 
ing called  upon  to  give  a  final  sanction  to  a  rule  of  con- 
duct and  plan  or  religious  government  by  which  it  is 


y6  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

intended  to  promote  and  preserve,  among  many  beloved 
spouses  of  Jesus  Christ,  a  spirit  of  solid  and  sublime 
religious  perfection  ?  When  I  remember  how  many 
prayers,  fastings,  watchings,  etc.,  were  employed  by  the 
holy  founders  of  religious  institutions,  to  obtain  light  and 
assistance  from  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  render  their  constitu- 
tions and  rules  adapted  to  the  objects  of  their  pious  zeal, 
I  am  so  sensible  of  my  unworthiness,  that  I  would  cer- 
tainly decline  from  the  test,  if  I  did  not  entertain  a  confi- 
dence that  it  may  please  God  to  bestow  a  blessing  upon 
the  ministerial  acts  of  the  ministers  of  religion  whom  He 
has  constituted,  to  which  blessing  they  are  not  entitled 
if  only  their  private  worth  were  considered.  Under  this 
impression,  therefore,  I  shall  and  do  now  give  my  appro- 
bation to  the  constitutions." 

An  anecdote  is  related  concerning  these  two  remark 
able  persons,  which  illustrates  the  characters  of  both. 
On  one  occasion,  while  Mother  Seton  was  conducting 
the  instruction  of  her  pupils  in  Christian  doctrine,  one 
of  them  said,  "  Mother,  I  met  with  a  word,  benignity,  in 
my  catechism,  and  I  don't  know  exactly  the  meaning 
of  it."  "  My  dearest  one,"  replied  the  mother  with  a 
smile,  "I  can  give  you  no  better  answer  to  your  question 
than  to  say,  Look  at  Archbishop  Carroll,  and  you  will 
see  the  meaning  of  this  word  on  his  countenance,  as  well 
as  in  his  manners." 

Many  as  were  the  consolations  of  Bishop  Carroll  in 
the  course  of  his  administration,  his  episcopate  was  far 
from  exempt  from  painful  incidents  and  unhappy  scandals 
in  various  parts  of  the  Church.  His  poverty  in  priests 
for  the  missions,  and  his  poverty  in  the  necessary  means 
for  procuring  them  from  Europe,  and  in  supporting  them 
and  building  churches,  were  the  least  of  his  trials.  In  a 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  97 

number  (tf  places  clergymen  of  eccentric  characters  or 
insubordinate  dispositions  were  officiating,  and  others  of 
still  more  unfortunate  traits  came  to  offer  their  services 
to  the  new  Church  of  America.  Bishop  Carroll  felt  con- 
strained to  employ  some  who  seemed  generally  accept- 
able, on  account  of  the  great  necessities  of  his  flock,  and 
others  intruded  upon  the  regular  pastors  appointed  by 
him,  and  in  some  instances  expelled  them  from  their 
charge.  In  Boston  and  New  York  disputes  arose  be- 
tween the  pastors  stationed  at  the  only  place  of  worship 
in  each  of  those  cities,  and  their  respective  abettors, 
which  proceeded  to  such  length  as  to  require  the 
bishop's  personal  intervention,  and  in  the  case  at  Boston 
his  personal" presence.  At  New  Orleans,  the  interreg- 
num in  episcopal  government  gave  rise  to  contentions 
on  the  subject  of  jurisdiction,  and  to  serious  and  long- 
continued  scandals,  which  Bishop  Carroll  used  his  best 
efforts  to  remove.  He  appointed  successively  Rev. 
Messrs.  Olivier  and  Dubourg  his  Vicars-General  in 
that  city.  In  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  and  in  West- 
moreland County,  Pennsylvania,  the  laity  were  scandal- 
ized by  the  irregular  conduct  of  the  pastors  officiating 
there.  In  Philadelphia,  an  intruding  minister  expelled 
the  regular  pastor  of  the  church,  with  the  assistance  of  his 
supporters ;  and  even  in  his  own  episcopal  city  of  Balti- 
more, an  unworthy  priest,  without  faculties,  with  the  aid 
of  his  adherents,  took  possession  of  the  German  Catho- 
lic Church,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  better  portion  of  the 
congregation.  These  irregularities  were  accompanied 
with  scandals ;  resulted  in  some  cases  in  angry  lawsuits ; 
and  even  the  bishop,  when  he  went  to  Philadelphia  to 
correct  the  trouble  prevailing  there,  was  served  with 
citations  to  appear  in  court.  The  mild  nature  of  Bishop 
7 


98  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

Carroll  was  sorely  tried  by  these  disturbances  ;  but  he 
showed  on  all  of  these  occasions,  that  mildness  was  not 
the  onry  trait  of  character  he  possessed.  Lay  trusteeism, 
of  course,  took  a  part  in  these  unfortunate  affairs,  aggra- 
vating, if  not  originating  them  in  most  cases.  Bishop 
Carroll  met  this  evil  with  all  the  vigor  and  firmness  of 
his  nature,  and  gave  it  the  first  blows,  which  afterwards 
led  to  its  practical  reduction  to  proper  subjection,  or  its 
abolition.  His  pastoral  letters,  issued  on  several  of  these 
occasions,  are  productions  of  great  vigor,  power,  and 
reasoning;  and  they  presented,  for  the  first  time,  to  the 
American  mind,  the  application  of  the  ecclesiastical  law 
to  the  circumstances  of  the  Church,  and  to  her  temporali- 
ties and  organization  in  this  country. 

The  suppression  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  has  already 
been  mentioned.  Dr.  Carroll  was  devotedly  attached  to 
this  illustrious  Order  and  to  its  members.  He  never  lost 
hope  for  its  restoration,  and  at  the  earliest  possible  mo- 
ment took  measures  for  this  end.  Though  suppressed 
throughout  Europe,  Russia  was  not  included  in  the  ap- 
plication of  the  decree.  The  Society  continued  its  ex- 
istence and  labors  without  interruption  in  that  country. 
As  soon  as  Bishop  Carroll  learned  this  fact,  he  and  his 
coadjutor,  Bishop  Neale,  applied  to  Father  Gruber,  the 
General,  for  permission  to  the  members  of  the  late 
Society  in  the  United  States  to  affiliate  with  the  Society 
in  Russia,  and  renew  their  \tows.  Their  request  was 
granted,  and  Bishop  Carroll  called  the  ex-Jesuits  to- 
gether at  Baltimore,  May  10,  1805,  and  at  this  meeting 
six  members  of  the  old  Society  were  readmitted  into 
the  revived  Society,  and  on  June  21  Bishop  Carroll  ap- 
pointed Rev.  Robert  Molyneux  Superior  of  the  Jesuits 
in  America.  The  Society  was  soon  augmented  by  arri- 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  99 

vals  from  Europe ;  and  Bishop  Carroll  transferred 
Georgetown  College  to  them,  and  restored  to  them  their 
former  missions  in  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania. 

The  relations  of  Archbishop  Carroll  with  General 
Washington  have  been  made  the  subject  of  frequent 
allusion  by  Catholic  authors.  While  the  strongest  evi- 
dence exists  to  show  that  Archbishop  Carroll  was  an 
ardent  admirer,  and,  so  far  as  was  becoming  in  a  clergy- 
man, a  political  supporter  of  Washington,  there  is  noth- 
ing to  show  the  existence  of  any  intimacy  or  close  per- 
sonal acquaintance  or  friendship  between  them.  Their 
acquaintance  with  each  other  rested  upon  a  better  foun- 
dation than  mere  social  or  personal  partiality.  It  was  the 
result  of  a  mutual  respect  for  public  and  private  virtues 
known  to  each  to  be  possessed  by  the  other :  a  knowl- 
edge on  the  part  of  both  of  a  devotion  to  one  great 
object,  the  liberty,  prosperity,  and  happiness  of  a  com- 
mon country ;  an  union  of  services,  though  in  different 
spheres  and  necessarily  in  different  degrees,  in  the  attain- 
ing of  our  independence.  No  friendly  correspondence 
was  kept  up  between  them,  for  the  only  letter  from 
Washington  to  Bishop  Carroll,  found  among  the  papers 
of  the  latter,  was  of  an  official  character,  and  related  to 
the  application  made  by  the  Prelate  to  the  President  for 
public  aid  to  the  Indian  missions,  a  request  which,  under 
the  Constitution,  could  only  be  granted  by  Congress. 
That  Washington  was  w^ll  acquainted  with,  and  respect- 
ed and  admired  the  character  and  virtues  of,  Bishop  Car- 
roll, is  quite  clear  from  undoubted  historical  facts  ;  and  the 
same  has  been  fully  confirmed  by  the  late  Mr.  Custis,  of 
Arlington,  an  adopted  son  of  Washington,  and  member 
of  his  family.  The  language  of  Mr.  Custis  was  :  "  From 
his  exalted  worth  as  a  minister  of  God,  his  stainless 


ioo  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

character  as  a  man,  and,  above  all,  his  distinguished  sei  - 
vices  as  a  patriot  of  the  Revolution,  Dr.  Carroll  stood 
high,  very  high,  in  the  esteem  and  affections  of  the  Pater 
Patriae."*  From  the  same  source  we  learn  that,  when- 
ever the  citizens  of  Baltimore  extended  a  public  recep- 
tion or  ovation  to  Washington  in  his  passage  through 
their  city,  between  Philadelphia  and  Mount  Vernon, 
Bishop  Carroll  usually  stood  at  the  head  of  the  citizens 
and  extended  the  first  welcome  to  the  President  and  re- 
ceived the  first  grasp  of  his  hand.  That  Bishop  Carroll 
should  have  been  selected,  by  the  unanimous  resolution 
of  Congress,  passed  in  compliance  with  the  general  de- 
sire of  the  clergy  and  laity  of  all  denominations,  to  pro- 
nounce a  panegyric  of  Washington  on  the  22d  of  Feb 
ruary,  1800,  the  first  Washington  anniversary  after  hL 
death,  is  evidence  of  the  recognized  relations  which  ex- 
isted between  these  two  great  men.  This  discourse  by 
Dr.  Carroll  was  pronounced  in  St.  Peter's  Church,  Balti- 
more, and  is  replete  with  exalted  sentiments  of  religion 
and  of  public  virtue,  fervid  eloquence,  ardent  patriotism, 
and  pure  classic  taste.  Happily  this  fine  production  has 
been  preserved  for  the  good  of  posterity,  and  is  at  once 
a  monument  of  the  eloquent  and  accomplished  eulogist 
and  of  his  incomparable  subject,  f 

An  incident  in  the  life  of  Bishop  Carroll,  connected 
with  the  Napoleon  family,  ought  not  to  be  omitted  here. 
In  1803  Jerome  Bonaparte,  a  brother  of  the  Emperor 
Napoleon  I.,  came  to  the  United  States  in  a  French  frig- 
ate ;  while  at  Baltimore  he  formed  the  acquaintance  of 
Miss  Patterson,  a  Protestant  lady  of  that  city,  became 

*  Letter  of  G.  W.  P.  Custis  to  Rev.  Dr.  White,  Appendix  to  Darren?  History  oj 
the  Church. 

f  Mr.  Brent's  Biography  of  Archbishop  Carroll. 


Most  Rev.  John   Carroll,  D.D.  101 

interested  in  her,  and  finally  they  became  engaged  to  be 
married.  After  some  delay  in  fulfilling  the  engagement, 
induced  by  prudential  or  state  considerations,  Bishop  Car- 
roll himself  performed  the  marriage  ceremony.  The 
Emperor  undertook  to  annul  the  marriage  for  dynastic 
reasons,  and  endeavored  to  enlist  the  assistance  of  Pope 
Pius  VII. ;  but  neither  imperial  entreaties,  menaces,  nor 
commands  could  prevail  on  the  Vicar  of  Christ,  who 
firmly  and  nobly  persisted  in  upholding  the  binding  force 
of  this  marriage,  and  in  pronouncing  the  illegality  of  any 
subsequent  one  that  might  be  entered  into. 

After  ten  or  twelve  years  of  untiring  effort,  Bishop 
Carroll  had  the  consolation  of  seeing  the  infant  Church, 
which  he  had  presided  over  with  so  much  care  and  abil- 
ity, advancing  rapidly,  and  yielding  a  harvest  of  fruits 
acceptable  to  Heaven.  The  exiled  clergy  from  France, 
and  the  restored  Society  of  Jesus,  supplied  pastors  for 
many  destitute  missions.  The  diocese  of  Baltimore  em- 
braced the  entire  United  States  and  the  territory  west 
of  the  Mississippi ;  and  the  vast  country  then  known  as 
Upper  and  Lower  Louisiana,  was,  on  its  cession  to  the 
United  States,  added  to  his  jurisdiction  and  care.  Besides 
these,  he  was  charged,  afterwards,  with  the  care  of  the 
missions  in  several  of  the  West  India  Islands.  He 
seemed,  in  the  midst  of  his  numerous  and  pressing 
duties,  to  find  time  for  everything.  The  visitations  of 
his  diocese  were  accomplished  by  him  then  with  apparent 
ease,  though  requiring  so  much  time,  and  accompanied 
with  so  much  inconvenience  in  traveling.  The  increase 
of  the  Church  during  his  episcopate  was  wonderful,  and, 
what  is  more,  was  accomplished  with  resources  the  most 
limited  and  uncertain.  He  visited  Boston  in  1803,  at  the 
solicitation  of  Rev.  Messrs.  Matignon  and  Cheverus,  and, 


iO2  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

on  the  9th  of  September  of  that  year,  conse  -rated  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Cross,  the  first  Catholic  Church 
erected  in  the  city  of  Boston.  He  laid  the  corner-stone 
of  the  present  Cathedral  of  Baltimore  July  7,  1806.  He 
received  constantly  from  the  zealous .  missionaries,  whom 
he  had  sent  to  various  and  remote  sections  of  the  coun- 
try, the  most  encouraging  accounts.  New  churches  were 
erected  and  Catholic  congregations  organized  in  places 
where  it  was  scarcely  known  before  that  there  were 
Catholics  living.  The  Augustinians  at  Philadelphia  and 
the  Dominicans  in  Ohio  founded  flourishing  and  perma- 
nent institutions,  and  began  to  share  with  the  Jesuits  of 
Georgetown,  and  with  the  Sulpitians  of  Baltimore,  the 
favor  and  benedictions  of  the  chief  pastor  of  the  country, 
while,  at  the  same  time,  they  took  part  with  them  in  the 
great  work  of  preparing  priests  for  the  Church.  As 
early  as  1808  Dr.  Carroll  had  the  consolation  of  behold- 
ing nearly  seventy  priests  and  eighty  churches  in  the 
country.  On  a  single  day,  as  early  as  1808,  he  ordained 
as  many  as  eight  priests.  Year  by  year  he  was  sending 
devoted  men  to  found  new  congregations,  and  the  mis- 
sionaries thus  sent  by  him  to  many  prominent  places 
were  the  founders  of  future  bishoprics.  It  was  he  that 
gave  a  Cheverus  to  Boston,  a  Dubourg  to  New  Orleans, 
a  Flaget  to  Kentucky,  and  a  Fenwick  to  Cincinnati.  The 
most  obscure  missions  founded  by  him  have  since  devel- 
oped into  flourishing  dioceses.  With  scarcely  as  many 
priests  as  there  are  now  bishops  within  the  same  limits, 
he  still  supplied  new  regions  with  devoted  pastors,  and 
the  devout  prayers,  joyous  hymns,  and  holy  benedictions 
of  the  Church,  resounded  in  places  where  they  were 
unknown  before.  The  duty  of  visiting  the  most  needy 
and  important  places,  of  conducting  a  correspondence 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  103 

with  every  portion  of  the  country,  as  well  as  with  Rome 
and  other  parts,  the  study  of  the  wants  and  necessities 
of  his  flock,  and  the  still  more  difficult  study  how  to  sup- 
ply them,  were  also  amongst  his  unceasing  obligations  and 
cares.  The  wisdom  with  which  he  selected  the  proper 
man  for  the  proper  place,  and  the  promptness  with  which 
he  dispatched  his  varied  duties,  were  matters  of  wonder 
and  admiration.  Yet  with  all  his  efforts,  and  with  the 
aid  of  the  zealous  priests  he  received  from  Europe,  such 
was  the  awakening  influence  of  the  new  life  he  inspired 
into  the  young  Churph  of  America,  that  the  petitions  he 
received  from  every  quarter,  after  having  supplied  so 
many  places  with  pastors,  were  far  more  numerous  than 
his  colaborers,  and  he  was  frequently  grieved  at  his  in- 
ability to  supply  the  demands  made  upon  him.  Yet  how 
vast  was  the  good  he  accomplished  ;  a  good  fruitful  in  its 
immediate  results  and  consoling  in  the  hope  it  gave  of  a 
more  joyous  future.  It  was  thus,  with  steady  hand  and 
nerve,  with  calm  and  prudent  judgment,  and  with  untir- 
ing zeal,  that  this  patriarch  and  architect  of  our  Church 
in  America  proceeded  to  lay  deep  and  broad  the  massive 
and  lasting  foundations  of  the  majestic  structure  which 
now  challenges  our  admiration  and  veneration. 

The  best  evidence  of  the  wonderful  progress  of  the 
Church  under  Bishop  Carroll's  administration,  is  to  be 
found  in  the  multiplication  of  bishoprics,  which  now  took 
place.  His  reports  of  the  increase  and  condition  of  the 
missions  in  America,  and  the  representations  of  his  in- 
creased labors,  an  increase  far  beyond  the  powers  of  one 
bishop  to  keep  pace  with,  induced  the  Holy  See  to  take 
this  important  step.  The  illustrious  and  saintly  Pius  VII., 
though,  to  use  the  language  of  Archbishop  Carroll  him- 
self, "  in  the  midst  of  tribulations  most  bitter  to  human 


104  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

nature,  but  equally  glorious  in  his  Divine  Master,"  turned 
his  paternal  attention  to  the  wants  of  our  Church,  and, 
by  his  brief  of  April  8,  1808,  erected  Baltimore  into  an 
Archiepiscopal  See,  and  established  four  new  Episcopal 
Sees  as  suffragans  to  Baltimore,  which  were  located  at 
Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Bardstown  in  Ken- 
tucky. Dr.  Carroll  was  deeply  impressed  with  this  im- 
portant occurrence,  and  resolved  to  spare  no  efforts  to 
cause  its  influence  to  be  joyously  and  beneficially  felt 
throughout  the  country.  The  Right  Rev.  John  Chev- 
erus,  of  Boston,  was  appointed  Bishop  of  that  See ;  the 
Right  Rev.  Luke  Concanen,  of  Rome,  was  appointed 
Bishop  of  New  York;  the  Right.  Rev.  John  Egan,  of 
Philadelphia,  was  appointed  Bishop  of  that  See ;  and  the 
Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  of  Bardstown,  was 
appointed  Bishop  of  Bardstown.*  The  untimely  death 
of  Bishop  Concanen,  who  was  on  the  eve  of  sailing  from 
Naples  for  his  See,  bearing  the  Bulls  of  investiture  for 
the  new  bishops,  and  the  pallium  for  Archbishop  Car- 
roll, delayed  the  arrival  of  the  documents  and  the  conse- 
cration of  the  new  bishops  until  1810,  and  left  the  See  of 
New  York  vacant.  Archbishop  Carroll  issued  in  that 
year  an  interesting  pamphlet  of  "  Instructions  on  the 
erection  of  four  new  episcopal  sees,"  with  an  "  Historical 
Notice,"  that  all  might  know  and  appreciate  this  import- 
ant event.  He  proceeded  then,  with  the  assistance  of 
his  coadjutor,  Bishop  Neale,  to  consecrate  the  newly 
appointed  prelates,  at  Baltimore.  He  consecrated 
Bishop  Egan  at  St.  Peter's,  on  Sunday,  October  28 ; 
Bishop  Cheverus  in  the  same  church,  November  I,  the 
.feast  of  All  Saints;  Bishop  Flaget,  at  St.  Patrick's,  No- 
vember 4 ;  on  all  of  which  occasions,  a  grandeur,  so- 

*  See  the  Lives  of  these  Prelates  post. 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  105 

lemnity,  and  beauty  were  maintained,  which  had  never 
before  been  witnessed  in  America.  Glorious  day  this 
was  for  the  American  Church  and  its  venerable  Arch- 
bishop !  Nothing  could  have  been  more  eloquent,  be- 
cause so  true,  than  the  language  with  which  Bishop 
Cheverus  saluted  the  archbishop,  from  the  pulpit  of  the 
Cathedral,  at  the  consecration  of  Bishop  Flaget,  as  "the 
Elias  of  the  new  law,  the  father  of  the  clergy,  the  con- 
ductor of  the  car  of  Israel  in  the  new  world — Pater  miy 
Pater  mi,  currus  Israel  et  auriga  ejus  !  " 

Archbishop  Carroll  gathered  around  him  the  newly 
consecrated  prelates  in  council.  This  venerable  assem- 
bly was  simple,  but  truly  august,  and  most  important  to 
the  cause  of  religion.  Rules  of  discipline  were  drawn  up 
for  the  future  government  of  the  Church :  throwing 
themselves  in  spirit  at  the  feet  of  the  Chief  Bishop  and 
Vicar  of  Christ,  these  pioneer  prelates  of  the  new  world 
addressed  to  him  a  letter  of  submission  and  petition,  ask- 
ing his  sanction  and  instruction,  and  his  powerful  assist- 
ance in  the  government  of  their  churches.  They  also 
addressed  a  brief,  but  admirable,  pastoral  letter  to  the 
clergy  and  laity  of  the  United  States;  a  document  which 
presents,  in  a  brief  space,  all  the  cardinal  rules  for  the 
regulation  of  a  Christian  life.  Then  receiving  and  im- 
parting benedictions  among  themselves,  the  three  new 
bishops  departed  to  their  respective  dioceses,  and  the 
archbishop,  remaining  to  bless  and  guide  his  own  de- 
voted flock,  never  ceased  to  pour  forth  fervent  prayers 
of  gratitude  to  God. 

Left  now  to  the  government  of  the  Archdiocese  of 
Baltimore,  even  yet  vast  and  needy,  Archbishop  Carroll 
devoted  all  his  time,  strength,  and  talents  to  the  cause  of 
religion .  The  vacancy  which  soon  occurred  in  the  dio- 


io6  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

cese  of  Philadelphia,  by  the  death  of  Bishop  Egan,  en- 
tailed upon  him  the  care  to  some  extent  of  that  diocese. 
The  multiplication  of  churches  in  his  diocese,  the  interests 
of  religion  in  the  South,  the  increasing  of  the  number  of 
the  clergy,  the  fostering  care  bestowed  upon  the  religious 
orders  and  collegiate  and  ecclesiastical  institutions  he 
had  founded,  communications  of  advice  and  assistance  to 
his  colleagues  in  the  episcopacy,  the  conduct  of  a  most 
extensive  correspondence  with  America  and  Europe,  and 
the  immediate  details  and  labors  of  his  own  diocese,  oc- 
cupied and  fully  filled  up  the  remaining  years  of  Arch- 
bishop Carroll.  He  could  now  behold  the  abundant 
fruits  of  his  past  labors,  while  earnestly  engaged  in  new 
works  arid  in  fostering  those  already  established. 

The  private  life  and  virtues  of  Archbishop  Carroll 
were  in  keeping  with  his  public  acts  and  services.  His 
charities  to  the  poor,  his  love  for  the  orphan,  his  conso- 
lation and  relief  to  the  afflicted  and  unfortunate,  his  kind- 
ness, benignity,  and  affability  to  all  who  approached  him, 
were  so  remarkable,  that  he  was  held  up  as  the  model  of 
a  Christian  gentleman.  In  social  conversation  he  was 
unrivaled  ;  his  compositions  are  models  of  classic  taste 
and  elegance ;  his  sermons  were  eloquent,  chaste,  and 
effective ;  and  as  an  adviser,  there  were  few,  if  any,  to 
excel  him  in  prudence,  wisdom,  and  candor ;  as  a  rela- 
tive and  friend,  he  was  most  affectionate  and  considerate. 
His  letters  to  his  clergy,  even  when  applying  the  cor- 
rective powers  of  his  office  to  some  abuse  or  irregularity, 
were  full  of  gentleness  and  winning  counsel.  A  single 
selection  from  his  ordinary  letters  to  friends  or  relatives, 
as  the  private  correspondence  of  the  great  and  good 
always  does,  will  throw  a  considerable  light  upon  his 
genial  nature  and  elevated  friendship ;  for  this  purpose, 


Most  Rev.  John   Carroll,  D.D<  107 

the  following  letter  to  his  nephew,  Mr.   Daniel   Brent, 
then  employed  in  the  United  States  Treasury  Depart 
ment  at  Philadelphia,  is  published : — 

"BALTIMORE,  Dec.  31,  1793. 

DEAR  DANIEL  : — I  was  very  sorry  that  you  should  pass 
through  Baltimore  during  my  absence.  Philadelphia, 
though  in  other  respects  restored,  perhaps,  to  its  former 
condition  and  gaiety,  must,  to  you  and  many  others,  be 
destitute  of  one  of  its  principal  recommendations  by  the 
death  of  your  venerable  friend,  Mr.  Fleming.  But  this 
heavy  loss  will  not,  I  hope,  cause  you  to  neglect  those 
duties  which,  as  he  informed  me,  were  urged  on  you  so 
often  by  his  friendship  as  well  as  his  zeal.  Often  con- 
sider, dear  Daniel,  of  how  little  real  advantage  all  other 
acquirements  will  finally  be,  without  the  acquirement  and 
persevering  practice  of  religious  virtue.  You  know  Mr. 
Keating,  and  will  soon  be  acquainted  with  Mr.  Neale  ; 
they  will  readily  endeavor  to  aid  you  in  your  progress 
to  this  desirable  term ;  and  their  examples  will  enforce 

their  lessons. 

»      •  *         *         *         *.*         *         *         * 

"  When  you  answer  this  letter  be  so  good  as  to  let 
me  know  the  general  opinion  as  to  the  views  of  the 
parties  in  Congress,  if  any  parties  there  be ;  and  like- 
wise how  matters  stand  between  Governor  Mifflin  and 
his  friend  Dallas,  since  the  publication  of  the  latter. 

"  When  you  see  Mr.  Fitzsimmons,  present  my  best 
respects  to  him  and  lady,  and  fervent  wishes  for  every 
happiness  during  the  ensuing  year.  For  yourself  I  pray, 
in  Lord  Chesterfield's  often-repeated  manner,  multos  et 
felices. 

"  I  am,  dear  Daniel,  your  most  affectionate  uncle, 

"•%•  J.,  Bishop  of  Baltimore." 


io8  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

Archbishop  Carroll  was,  throughout  Iffe,  remarkable 
for  his  personal  devotion  and  piety ;  virtues  which  con- 
tinued as  fresh  and  ardent  amidst  the  cares  and  anxieties 
of  business,  and  amidst  the  honors  and  dignities  of  posi- 
tion, as  when  he  was  a  youth  under  his  mother's  roof, 
or  a  student  of  the  Jesuits  of  Maryland,  and  St.  Omer's. 
It  was  a  pious  custom  among  the  old  Catholic  families 
of  Maryland,  for  the  head  of  the  household  to  assemble 
the  family  and  servants  together  in  the  evening  to  recite 
their  night  prayers  in  common.  This  excellent  practice, 
acquired  by  him  in  his  youth  from  his  mother,  was  con- 
tinued by  Archbishop  Carroll  during  his  whole  life. 
Thus  it  was  observed,  that  though  his  residence  was 
the  resort  of  the  friends  and  relatives  of  the  venerable 
prelate,  and  of  many  who  came  on  business  or  for  coun- 
sel, especially  in  the  evening,  he  would,  at  the  ap- 
pointed hour,  gracefully  retire  for  a  while,  and  unite 
with  the  colored  servants  and  others  of  his  household 
in  the  customary  evening  service.  His  influence  as  a 
high  and  dignified  ecclesiastic  was  great ;  but  the  im- 
proving effect  of  his  private  virtues,  of  his  pure  and  holy 
life,  his  simplicity,  gentleness,  firmness  in  rectitude  and 
good  example,  and  devotion  to  the  cause  of  religion  and 
morality,  were  most  powerful  in  all  circles  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  resided.  In  statue  he  was  below 
the  medium  height,  but  he  was,  at  the  same  time,  one  of 
the  most  dignified  and  imposing  of  men.  His  appear- 
ance and  manners  were  strikingly  appropriate  to  the 
ecclesiastic ;  he  was  exceedingly  affable,  always  accessi- 
ble, of  a  genial  nature,  and  sought  his  only  relaxation  in 
the  social  converse  of  a  refined  Christian  community. 
He  did  not  confine  his  social  visits  to  members  of  his 
own  Church ;  but  received  and  returned  visits  with  a 


Most  Rev.   John  Carroll,  D.D.  ICK, 

large  and  cultivated  circle  of  acquaintances  of  the  various 
religious  denominations  at  Baltimore. 

Such  were  the  regularity  and  frugality  of  his  life,  that 
he  was  about  eighty  years  of  age  before  any  decided 
symptoms  of  declining  health  appeared.  The  approaches 
of  death  were  slow  and  almost  imperceptible.  Yet  he 
was  ever  ready  to  meet  death,  and  welcomed  it  with  a 
calm  and  hopeful  resignation.  Exhausted  nature  finally 
succumbed  to  the  common  fate  of  humanity.  He  was  for 
some  time  confined  to  his  house ;  then  to  his  chamber, 
and  finally  to  his  bed ;  and  during  this  period  practised 
every  virtue  which  had  adorned  his  long  and  glorious 
life.  His  humility  and  charity  to  others  were  conspicu- 
ous in  those  last  days  of  his  mortal  career.  With  a 
mind  unclouded  and  calm,  he  prepared  himself  for  death, 
and  assisted  others  in  their  preparations  for  his  own  last 
agony.  When  one  of  his  priests  quietly  entered  his 
chamber  in  search  of  a  certain  book,  which  contained  the 
ceremonies  and  directions  appropriate  for  the  burial  of  an 
archbishop,  the  expiring  prelate  at  once  remarked,  "  I 
know  what  you  want,"  and  told  the  clergyman  that  he 
would  find  the  book  he  was  looking  for  in  a  certain  posi- 
tion on  a  certain  shelf;  and  there  accordingly  the  book 
was  found.  Among  the  attendants  at  his  death-bed  was 
his  sister ;  and  it  is  related  that  when  he  perceived  his 
agony  approaching,  he  thought  of  her,  and  inquired  if 
there  was  a  conveyance  ready  to  carry  her  and  his  weep- 
ing relatives  home ;  telling  them  that  the  scene  was 
about  to  close,  and  requesting  them  to  take  rest  and 
nourishment.  To  an  eminent  Protestant  clergyman  who 
was  present,  and  who  observed  to  him  that  his  hopes 
were  now  fixed  on  another  world,  he  replied,  "  Sir,  my 
hopes  have  always  been  on  the  cross  of  Christ."  He 


no  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

requested  that  he  might  be  placed  on  the  floor  to  die, 
deeming  this  humble  position  suited  to  his  demerits  be- 
fore God,  into  whose  presence  he  was  about  to  enter. 
To  the  last  he  requested  his  attendants  to  recite  for  him 
the  "  Miserere  met,  Deus"  Finally,  bestowing  his 
benediction  upon  his  friends  and  relatives  present,  he 
averted  his  face  and  calmly  expired. 

His  death  occurred  on  Sunday,  December  3,  1815. 

One  of  his  contemporaries  has  well  exclaimed  with  the 

poet  :— 

"  He  taught  us  how  to  live  ;  and  oh  !  too  high 
The  price  of  knowledge  !  taught  us  how  to  die  " 

The  following  notice  of  Archbishop  Carroll's  character, 
in  the  American  Quarterly  Review,  is  from  the  pen  of  a 
contemporary,  who  knew  him  well: — "We  may  be  per- 
mitted to  pay,  ourselves,  an  humble,  direct  tribute  to  the 
memory  of  him  whose  society  we  had  often  the  good 
fortune  to  enjoy.  No  being  that  it  has  been  our  lot  to 
admire,  ever  inspired  us  with  so  much  reverence  as 
Archbishop  Carroll.  The  configuration  of  his  head,  his 
whole  mien,  bespoke  the  metropolite.  We  cannot  easily 
forget  the  impression  which  he  made,  a  few  years  before 
his  death,  upon  a  distinguished  foreigner  (of  Scotland), 
who  conversed  with  him  for  an  half-hour,  immediately 
after  the  celebration  of  the  mass,  in  his  parlor,  and  had 
seen  the  most  imposing  hierarchs  of  Great  Britain. 
The  visitor  seemed,  on  leaving  the  apartment,  to  be 
strongly  moved,  and  repeatedly  exclaimed,  '  that,  in- 
deed, is  a  true  Archbishop ! '  The  prelate  could  dis- 
course with  him  on  all  the  leading  affairs  and  pregnant 
vicissitudes  of  the  world,  with  equal  elegance  and  facili- 
ty, in  Latin,  Italian,  or  French ;  with  the  most  enlight- 
ened and  liberal  philosophy ;  blending  dignity  with 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  in 

suavity,  delicate  pleasantry  with  grave  and  comprehen- 
sive remark.  Much  of  his  correspondence  was  con- 
ducted in  those  languages ;  he  wrote  them  not  less 
readily  and  tersely  than  his  own ;  and  he  had  few  equals 
in  his  critical  knowledge  and  employment  of  the  latter. 
He  bore  his  superior  faculties  and  acquirements ;  his  well- 
improved  opportunities  of  information  and  refinement, 
abroad  and  at  home ;  his  unrivalled  personal  considera- 
tion and  influence ;  his  professional  rank  and  daily  honors, 
we  will  not  say  meekly,  but  so  courteously,  happily,  un- 
affectedly, that,  while  his  general  character  restrained, 
in  others,  all  propensity  to  indecorum  or  presumption, 
his  presence  added  to  every  one's  complacency,  and 
produced  an  universal  sentiment  of  earnest  kindness 
towards  the  truly  amiable  and  truly  exalted  companion 
and  instructor.  He  mingled  often  with  gay  society, 
relished  the  festivities  of  polished  life,  and  the  familiar 
intercourse  of  both  clergy  and  laity  of  the  Protestant  de- 
nominations ;  and  it  was  this  expansion  of  his  sympathies 
and  social  pleasures — as  well  the  breadth  of  his  charity, 
the  benignity  of  his  nature,  and  the  simplicity  of  his 
spirit  and  carriage,  as  his  elevated  station  and  the  sanc- 
tity of  his  way — that  drew  to  his  funeral  a  greater  con- 
course, comprising  more  real  mourners  than  had  ever 
been  witnessed  in  Baltimore  on  any  similar  occasion  ; 
filled  the  streets  and  windows  with  sympathizing  specta- 
tors, and  produced  as  vivid  a  sensation  in  the  whole 
body  of  Catholics  throughout  the  Union,  as  if  each  con- 
gregation or  individual  had  lost  the  dearest  of  immediate 
pastors  or  friends.  Archbishop  Carroll  belonged,  as  has 
been  said,  to  the  Society  of  Jesus,  or  the  Jesuits ;  and 
he  was  ever  proud  and  fond  of  that  relation.  Could 
Jesuitism  have  been  determined  in  its  proper  meaning 


112  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

by  his  disposition,  it  would  have  had  an  acceptation  the 
very  reverse  of  the  common  one.  He  was  wholly  free 
from  guile  ;  uniformly  frank,  generous,  and  placable ;  he 
reprobated  all  intolerance ;  and  when  accused,  in  the 
newspapers,  of  having,  in  a  pastoral  letter,  '  excluded 
from  the  honorable  appellation  of  Christians,  all  that 
were  not  within  the  pale  of  his  Church,'  he  answered,  by 
the  same  channel :  '  If  such  a  passage  can  be  pointed 
out,  he  (the  bishop)  will  be  the  first  to  condemn  it,  since, 
so  far  from  embracing  this  opinion  as  an  article  of  his 
faith,  he  holds  the  doctrine  directly  contrary  to  it  to 
be  that  of  his  Church,  to  which  he  and  all  Catholics 
are  bound  to  submit,  and  which  Catholics  have  constant- 
ly maintained  in  opposition  to  the  tenets  of  some  pre- 
tended reformers.' 

"  The  archbishop's  patriotism  was  as  decided  as  his 
piety.  He  ranked  and  voted  with  the  Federal  party- 
yet  he  entertained  no  predilection  for  Great  Britain  or 
her  government.  He  loved  republicanism,  and  so  far 
preferred  his  own  country,  that  if  ever  he  could  be  excited 
to  impatience,  or  irritated,  nothing  could  have  that  effect 
more  certainly  than  the  expression  of  the  slightest  pre- 
ference, by  any  American  friend,  of  foreign  institutions  or 
measures.  He  had  joined  with  heart  and  judgment  in 
the  Revolution ;  he  retained,  without  abatement  of  con- 
fidence or  fervor,  the  cardinal  principles  and  American 
sympathies  and  hopes  upon  which  he  then  acted.  We 
have  heard  from  some  of  the  most  intelligent  and  observ- 
ant of  his  auditors,  when  he  delivered  his  masterly  fune- 
ral panegyric  on  Washington,  in  which  he  recited  the 
terrors,  the  encroachments,  the  distresses,  and  the  glories 
of  the  struggle  for  Independence,  that  he  appeared  to  be 
laboring  under  intense  emotions  corresponding  to  those 


Most  Rev.  John  Carroll,  D.D.  113 

topics ;  to  be  swayed,  like  the  aged  minstrel  of  the  poet, 
with  contagious  influences,  by  the  varied  strains  which 
he  uttered.  That  discourse  has  been  published  ;  and 
also,  we  believe,  some  of  his  tracts.  His  sermons  have 
not  been  printed ;  but  they  were  most  skilfully  tempered, 
and  classically  written." 
8 


MOST  REV.  LUIS  PENALVER  Y  CARDENAS, 

D.D. 

First  Bishop  of  New  Orleans,  afterwards  Archbishop  of  Guatemala^ 

A.D.  I793-* 

IT  is  to  be  regretted  that  so  little  is  known  of  this  Pre- 
late, more  especially  as  the  meagre  account,  that  has 
been  transmitted  to  us  concerning  him,  is  calculated  to 
give  an  exalted  estimate  of  his  virtues,  labors,  and  abili- 
ties. 

Louisiana  was  from  the  beginning  of  American  coloni- 
zation an  object  of  contention  between  France  and  Spain. 
The  gallantry  of  Iberville  decided  the  contest  in  favor  of 
France.  But  France,  by  a  secret  article  in  the  treaty  of 
Fontainebleau,  in  1762,  transferred  Louisiana  to  Spain, 
under  whose  dominion  it  remained  till  the  year  1800, 
when  Spain  retroceded  it  to  France. 

The  episcopal  see  of  New  Orleans  was  erected  under 
the  Spanish  dominion.  The  missions  before  this  had 
been  conducted  by  Spanish  and  French  priests,  who  were 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Archbishop  of  Havana.  In 
1793,  New  Orleans  was  made  an  independent  see  by  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff,  and  Don  Luis  Penalver  y  Cardenas, 
then  a  distinguished  Spanish  divine,  was  appointed  its 
first  bishop.  Archbishop  Blanc,  one  of  his  successors, 
writes  of  him,  that  he  was  "  a  man  of  great  talents,  zeal, 
and  piety,  whose  administration  was  marked  by  an  un- 

*  Authorities :    Archbishop  Spalding's  Life  of  Bishop  Flaget ;  Catholic  Alma- 
noes,  etc. 


Most  Rev.  Luis  Penalver  y  Cardenas,  D.D.    115 

common  degree  of  wisdom,  and  a  strict  attachment  to  the 
discipline  of  the  Church."  The  papal  bulls  appointing 
him,  an  authenticated  copy  of  which  is  preserved  in  the 
archiepiscopal  archives  of  New  Orleans,  bear  date  April 
25>  T793-  It  is  stipulated  in  them  that  the  new  Bishop 
shall  receive  from  the  royal  treasury  of  Spain  the  annual 
sum  of  four  thousand  dollars,  for  his  suitable  support. 
Two  canons  were  to  be  attached  to  the  cathedral,  who 
were  each  to  receive  from  the  same  source  the  sum  of 
six  hundred  dollars  annually. 

It  was  not  till  the  year  1795  that  Bishop  Penalver  y 
Cardenas  took  formal  possession  of  his  see.  "  He  im 
mediately  began,"  writes  Archbishop  Spalding,  on  the 
information  of  Archbishop  Blanc,  "the  visitation  of  his 
diocese,  which  he  prosecuted  with  vigor  and  zeal.  He 
required  all  priests,  who  had  charge  of  congregations,  to 
send  him  annual  reports  of  the  condition,  both  temporal 
and  spiritual,  of  their  respective  parishes  or  districts.  He 
continued  to  exact  this  during  the  six  years  of  his  vigi 
lant  administration.  He  labored  earnestly  to  eradicate 
abuses,  and  to  promote  piety." 

This  excellent  Prelate  was,  in  1802,  made  Archbishop 
of  Guatemala,  over  which  diocese  he  presided  until  1806, 
when  he  was  transferred  to  the  See  of  Havana.  Of  his 
services  after  his  departure  from  New  Orleans,  and  of 
his  death,  no  accounts  have  reached  us. 


THE  MOST  REV.  LEONARD  NEALE,  D.D. 

Second  Archbishop  of  Baltimore,  A.D.,  1800.* 

THE  ancestors  of  Archbishop  Neale  were  among  the 
earliest  settlers  of  Maryland,  Captain  James  Neale,  the 
founder  of  the  name  in  America,  having  come  over  with 
his  family  some  time  prior  to  the  year  1642.  Captain 
Neale  had  been  a  favorite  at  the  court  of  Charles  I.,  and 
his  wife,  Madam  Anna  Neale,  held  an  office  in  the  house- 
hold of  the  Queen  Henrietta  Maria.  They  resided  sev- 
eral years  afterwards  in  Spain,  where  Captain  Neale  was 
the  accredited  agent  of  the  King.  According  to  some 
accounts,  he  was  an  Admiral  in  the  Royal  Navy,  in  which 
position  he  acquired  a  large  fortune  from  the  prize-money 
that  fell  to  his  share  in  the  capture  of  Spanish  vessels. 
Four  of  the  children  of  Captain  and  Madam  Anna  Neale 
were  born  during  their  sojourn  in  the  Spanish  dominions, 
and  the  good  mother  named  one  of  her  daughters  Hen- 
rietta Maria,  as  a  compliment  and  token  of  gratitude  to 
her  royal  friend,  the  queen  of  Charles  I. ;  the  same  name 
has  continued  through  generations  to  be  a  favorite  one 
in  the  family  of  the  Neales.  Captain  Neale  was  subse- 
quently Lord  Baltimore's  negotiator  among  the  burgo- 
masters of  Holland.  Upon  the  immigration  of  himself  and 
family  Maryland,  they  were  all  naturalized  by  an  act 
of  Assembly,  in  consequence,  no  doubt,  of  the  previous 

*  Authorities :  Davis'  Day-Star  of  American  Freedom  ;  National  Intelligencer, 
October  I,  1856;  Notice  of  Archbishop  Neale,  by  M.  C.  Jenkins,  in  the  Catholic 
Magazine,  1844;  Catholic  Almanac,  1835;  Bozman's  History  of  Maryland ;  Life  of 
Cardinal  Cheverus,  by  Rev.  J.  Iluen  Dubourg ;  Metropolitan,  December,  1855, 
and  June,  1856,  &c. 


Most  Rev.  Leonard  Neale,  D.D.  117 

residence  of  the  parents,  and  the  birth  of  the  children,  in 
Spain.  Captain  Neale  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land 
in  Charles  county;  with  the  Spanish  coins  which  he 
brought  with  him  and  known  as  cob  dollars,  from  which 
circumstance  originated  the  name  of  Cob  Neck,  the  place 
where  he  settled.  He  was  a  prominent  and  useful  man 
in  the  affairs  of  the  Colony,  in  its  earliest  and  purest 
days  of  enlightened  Catholic  legislation ;  he  became  a 
member  of  the  Governor's  Council  in  1643  ;  and  in  1644 
he  was  summoned,  by  a  special  writ  of  Governor  Leon- 
ard Calvert,  to  sit  in'  the  colonial  legislature.  Distin- 
guished as  were  the  ancestors  of  Archbishop  Neale  in 
those  early  days,  for  their  many  virtues,  and  especially 
for  their  firm  adherence  and  devotion  to  the  Catholic 
faith,  they  and  their  descendants  continued,  with  heroic 
courage,  to  preserve  their  faith  intact  through  the  long  and 
gloomy  period  of  persecution,  which  followed  and  contin- 
ued to  rage  during  the  Protestant  ascendency  in  Mary- 
land. And  at  that  auspicious  moment,  the  dawn  of  the 
American  Revolution,  when  civil  and  religious  liber- 
ty was  restored  in  Maryland,  the  Neales  were  found,  as 
they  had  always  been,  among  the  sincere  and  unswerv- 
ing followers  of  the  faith  of  their  fathers. 

Leonard  Neale  was  born  near  Port  Tobacco,  Charles 
county,  Maryland,  October  15,  1746,  of  parents  in  the 
enjoyment  of  easy  circumstances  and  high  social  position. 
The  death  of  the  father  devolved  upon  the  widowed 
mother  of  five  sons  and  one  daughter  the  responsible, 
but  holy  duty,  of  directing  and  providing  for  their  educa- 
tion. But,  like  most  of  the  Catholic  matrons  of  her  day 
in  Maryland,  Mrs.  Neale  was  fully  qualified  for  the  task, 
beset  as  it  was  with  n~any  trying  difficulties,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  intolerant  and  narrow-minded  policy  which 


n8  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

the  colonial  government  had  adopted  and  continued  to 
pursue  with  unrelenting  severity  towards  Catholics.  De- 
prived of  the  right  to  give  a  Catholic  education  to  her 
children  in  their  native  country,  Mrs.  Neale,  in  order  to 
attain  that  great  object,  had  already  endured  a  painful 
separation  from  two  of  her  sons  and  an  only  daughter, 
who  were  then  pursuing  their,  studies  in  Europe.  With 
a  firmness  of  purpose,  and  a  fidelity  to  duty,  which  reli- 
gion alone  could  inspire,  as  well  as  bestow  the  strength 
necessary  to  enable  the  mother's  heart  to  endure  the 
separation,  she  now  tore  from  her  side  and  committed  to 
the  winds  and  waves  of  the  ocean  two  of  her  younger 
sons,  Charles  and  Leonard,  who  were  sent  to  the  Col- 
lege of  English  Jesuits  at  St.  Omer's  in  French  Flanders ; 
Leonard  being  at  the  time  only  twelve  years  old.  These 
two  were  subsequently  followed  by  their  youngest  brother, 
Francis,  upon  whom  this  pious  and  courageous  mother 
had  determined  to  bestow  the  same  inestimable  advan- 
tages of  a  collegiate  and  Catholic  education.  Gifted 
with  a  quick  and  capacious  mind,  the  youthful  Leonard 
was  very  successful  in  passing  through  his  academic  ca- 
reer at  St.  Omer's.  Having  been  inclined  from  early 
youth  to  embrace  a  religious  life,  and  having  resolved  to 
dedicate  himself  in  an  especial  manner  to  the  service  of 
Almighty  God  in  the  holy  ministry,  in  which  he  was 
doubtlessly  influenced  as  well  by  the  pious  training 
which  he  had  received  from  his  inestimable  mother,  as 
by  the  remarkable  example  of  his  brothers  and  sister,* 

*  The  oldest  brother,  William  Chandler,  after  having  embraced  a  religious  life,  was 
ordained  a  priest  and  stationed  in  England,  where  he  finally  died  in  the  Manchester 
Hospital,  insane  ;  Benedict  was  also  a  priest  and  died  in  Maryland  in  1787,  making  the 
vows  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  on  his  death-bed ;  Charles  also  died  in  holy  orders,  April 
28,  1823,  at  Georgetown  ;  Anne,  the  only  sister  of  the  Archbishop,  was  a  nun  of  the 
order  of  Poor  Clares  at  Aire,  in  Artois ;  the  youngest  child,  the  Rev.  Francis,  after  a 
long  life  of  extraordinary  sanctity,  died  in  Maryland  in  1837. 


Most  Rev.  Leonard  Neale,  D.D.  119 

he  went  from  St.  Omer's  to  Bruges,  and  then  to  Liege, 
where,  with  equal  success  and  reputation,  he  made  his 
course  of  philosophy  and  theology,  and  was  ordained  P 
priest  in  the  Society  of  Jesus. 

During  his  sojourn  in  Europe,  Mr.  Neale  often  turned 
his  heart  towards  his  home,  and  especially  towards  his 
good  mother,  whom  he  continued  to  cheer  constantly  by 
his  affectionate  and  pious  letters.  One  of  his  letters  is 
particularly  alluded  to  in  Mr.  Jenkins'  Notice  of  the 
Archbishop,  in  the  following  terms :  "  In  a  letter  to  his 
mother  written  from  Bruges,  in  1770,  Leonard  speaks 
most  feelingly  and  affectionately  of  his  brothers  and  sister, 
then  scattered  about  in  Europe.  That  letter,  remarkable 
for  its  filial  and  fraternal  piety,  enters  into  familiar  detail 
of  the  health,  dispositions,  and  capacity  of  all  his  family, 
and  announces  to  his  mother  the  safe  arrival  of  Francis, 
his  younger  brother,  at  St.  Omer's.  There  was  much  in 
this  letter  to  repay  that  mother  for  her  noble  and  Chris- 
tian sacrifices ;  much  to  console  her  for  the  pious  direc- 
tion which  her  precepts  had  given  to  the  hearts  of  her 
children.  Four  of  her  sons  had  embraced  the  priesthood, 
a  fifth  had  declared  his  intention  of  following  their  exam- 
ple ;  and  her  daughter  Anne  had  become  a  nun  of  the 
Order  of  St.  Clare,  at  Aire  in  Artois.  What  a  joyous 
spectacle  was  this  for  the  pious  matron,  whose  soul  was 
wrapt  up  in  the  spiritual  welfare  of  her  children  !  To  see 
them  one  after  another,  like  the  family  of  St.  Bernard, 
embracing  a  religious  life  and  sacrificing  all  worldly  con- 
siderations for  those  sacerdotal  dignities,  which  they 
gloried  in  the  more,  as  they  doomed  them  to  so  many 
perils  and  such  arduous  trials."  Taking  up  the  pious 
thought  thus  suggested,  it  may  here  be  remarked  that 
this  heroic  family  presents  an  example  eminently  charac- 


I2O  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

teristic  of  truly  Catholic  countries  and  ages,  and  one  well 
worthy  of  imitation  among  Catholics  in  our  own  day  and 
country.  It  was  once  the  pride  and  glory  of  the  Catho- 
lic mother  to  offer  up  her  children  to  the  special  service 
of  the  God  of  Heaven.  It  was  once  the  hope,  nay  the 
constant  prayer  of  the  Catholic  mothers  of  old,  that 
at  least  one  of  their  sons  might  accept  the  labors  and 
perils,  together  \vith  the  honors,  of  the  Christian 
priesthood,  and  if  Heaven  demanded  the  sacrifice, 
all  were  freely  offered  at  the  altar.  It  is  not  sur- 
prising, that  such  heroic  dispositions  in  the  parent 
were  frequently  rewarded  by  numerous  vocations  among 
Catholic  youth,  and  the  instance  before  us  is  doubly 
gratifying,  as  exhibiting  the  example  and  the  Catholic 
heroism  of  better  and  more  Catholic  days  and  countries 
within  our  own  once  Catholic  Maryland. 

Shortly  after  his  elevation  to  the  priesthood  the  Rev. 
Leonard  Neale  was  called  upon  to  suffer,  in  common 
with  his  fellow-religious  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  a  severe 
affliction.  Pope  Clement  XIV.,  on  the  sixteenth  of  Au- 
gust, 1773,  issued  the  brief  by  which  the  Society  of  Jesus 
was  suppressed.  Like  his  companions,  Father  Neale 
received  this  stroke  with  profound  grief,  but  submitted  to 
it  with  humility  and  obedience.  Together  with  the 
illustrious  John  Carroll  and  the  English  Jesuits,  he  re- 
tired to  England,  where  he  was  received  with  kindness 
and  consideration.  Accepting  the  care  of  a  small  con- 
gregation, he  devoted  himself  with  great  zeal  and  suc- 
cess to  their  spiritual  service,  and  for  four  years  edified 
all  by  his  sanctity  and  good  example.  But  this  field  of 
labor  was  too  contracted  for  the  apostolic  zeal  and  bound- 
less charity  of  this  holy  priest.  Those  divine  words, 
"  Go  teach  all  nations,"  were  ever  present  to  his  mind, 


Most  Rev.  Leonard  Neale,  D.D.  *2i 

and  he  longed  for  an  opportunity  of  preaching  the  gospel 
to  some  heathen  nation  that  knew  not  God,  and  of  suffer- 
ing something  for  the  cause  of  Christ.  Instead  of  return- 
ing to  his  own  native  home,  where  friends  and  comforts 
awaited  him,  he  sacrificed  all,  and  earnestly  petitioned 
for  a  foreign  mission.  His  earnest  request  was  granted. 
Demarara,  a  town  in  British  Guiana,  in  South  America, 
was  assigned  him,  and  in  1779  he  set  sail  from  England 
and  arrived  at  Demarara  the  same  year.  A  field  full  of 
labor,  hardships,  sufferings,  and  disappointments  here 
awaited  this  faithful  follower  of  the  cross,  who  only  re- 
joiced in  treading  a  path  beset  with  thorns,  in  imitation 
of  the. Savior  whom  he  followed.  His  biographer  in  the 
Catholic  Almanac  thus  describes  Father  Neale's  South 
American  mission  : — "  In  this  dreary  region  and  unwhole- 
some climate  his  daily  occupation  was  to  dispel  the  igno- 
rance and  reform  the  vices  of  the  inhabitants.  The  diffi- 
culties which  he  here  encountered  were  innumerable,  and 
more  than  once  did  he  hazard  his  life  in  the  performance 
of  his  arduous  duties  ;  but  Providence  crowned  his  efforts 
with  success,  and  encouraged  him  to  surmount  every  ob- 
stacle, by  leading  hundreds  to  the  sacred  font  of  baptism, 
where  he  had  the  consolation  of  enrolling  them  among 
the  followers  of  Jesus  Christ.  As  he  passed  one  morning 
among  the  tents  of  this  uncultivated  people,  his  attention 
was  arrested  by  the  distressing  condition  of  one  of  the 
chieftain's  family,  who  lay  stretched  on  the  bed  of  death, 
without  the  least  hope  of  recovery.  The  chief,  who 
was  an  enemy  of  the  Christian  religion,  was  deeply 
afflicted  by  the  illness  of  his  child,  and  finding  that 
every  effort  to  restore  him  was  unavailing,  appealed 
at  length  to  the  charity  of  Mr.  Neale,  and  assured 
him  that  if  the  God,  whom  he  worshipped,  would 


122  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

raise  the  youth  from  his  state  of  suffering,  not  only 
he,  but  all  his  family,  would  embrace  the  faith  of  Christ. 
The  child  was  accordingly  baptized,  after  due  prepara- 
tion, and  God  in  his  boundless  mercy  permitted  his 
recovery,  which  was  followed  by  the  immediate  conver- 
sion of  many." 

In  his  efforts  among  the  heathen  natives  there  were 
many  things  to  gratify  the  heart  and  encourage  the  zeal 
of  Father  Neale.  But  his  labors  among  the  settlers  were 
not  so  successful.  All  his  endeavors  to  correct  their 
vices  and  improve  their  morals  proved  unsuccessful.  So 
great  was  their  animosity  towards  the  faith,  that  they 
would  not  allow  our  missionary  to  have  a  church,  so  that 
he  was  exposed  to  all  the  rigors  of  that  inhospitable 
climate  in  the  daily  discharge  of  the  ordinary  duties  of 
his  ministry.  In  addition  to  his  exposures  to  the  climate, 
and  the  intensity  of  his  labors,  his  personal  privations 
and  discomforts  were  so  great,  that  his  health  began  to 
fail.  These  temporal  sufferings  were  welcome  to  the 
holy  priest,  for  he  made  them  the  means  of  his  own  sanc- 
tification.  But  it  was  the  little  fruit  produced  from  his 
ministry  among  that  unfortunate  people  that  gave  him 
true  sorrow.  After  four  years  of  zealous  and  unremitting 
effort,  he  became  convinced  that  it  was  his  duty  to  seek 
another  and  more  promising  vineyard  for  his  missionary 
labors.  "  In  his  letter  to  the  Superior  of  the  Propaganda 
at  Rome,  dated  about  the  close  of  the  year  1782,  and 
just  before  his  departure  from  Demarara,  he  bitterly 
laments  the  blindness  and  corruption  of  the  inhabitants, 
and  announces  his  determination  to  quit  a  people  among 
whom  his  labors  are  so  fruitless,  and  where  the  difficulties 
of  his  mission  are  almost  insuperable."  He  accordingly 
sailed  from  Demarara  in  January,  1783,  for  Maryland. 


Most  Rev.  Leonard  Neale,  D.D.  123 

After  a  voyage  of  many  perils  and  exposures,  amongst 
which  was  his  capture  by  the  British  cruisers,  he  arrived 
during  the  month  of  April  of  the  same  year  in  Maryland, 
where  he  was  cordially  welcomed  by  his  friends  and  re- 
latives, and  by  his  ex-Jesuit  brethren,  amongst  whom 
was  the  Rev.  John  Carroll>  who  announced  his  arrival  in 
a  letter  to  Mr.  Plowden  in  Europe.  His  arrival  in  Mary- 
land was  just  in  time  to  enable  him  to  take  part  in  the 
organization  in  the  United  States  of  the  American 
Church,  of  which  he  was  destined  to  become  so  bright 
an  ornament.  The  members  of  the  late  Society  of  Jesus, 
of  which  Father  Neale  had  been  a  member  in  Europe, 
had  been  keeping  up  a  sort  of  union  among  themselves 
in  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania  after  the  suppression  of 
their  Order,  for  the  purpose  of  more  effectually  conducting 
the  Maryland  missions,  and  of  managing  their  temporali- 
ties, of  which  they  were  not  despoiled  in  America  as 
they  had  been. in  Europe.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Lewis  was  at 
their  head,  and  was  also  clothed  with  regular  ecclesiasti- 
cal authority  as  the  vicar  of  the  Bishop  of  London.  Fa- 
ther Neale  united  himself  to  this  association  of  his  late 
brethren,  and  was  stationed  at  St.  Thomas'  Manor,  near 
Port  Tobacco,  in  the  midst  of  his  relatives  and  friends. 
What  might  naturally  have  been  a  position  of  ease  and 
comfort,  he  made  one  of  labor  and  privation.  Here,  as 
in  England  and  in  Demarara,  he  led  a  life  of  "  charac- 
teristic self-devotion  and  exemplary  piety."  In  1783  he 
attended  the  meeting  of  the  clergy  of  Maryland  and 
Pennsylvania,  which  was  called  at  Whitemarsh,  Prince 
George's  county,  after  the  separation  of  the  colonies 
from  the  mother  country,  and  which  had  for  its  object 
"  the  preservation  and  well  government  of  all  mat- 
ters and  concerns  of  the  clergy  and  the  service 


124  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

of  religion  in  those  countries."  In  the  first  and  sub- 
sequent meetings  of  the  clergy  the  Rev.  Mr.  Neale" 
was  present  in  his  own  behalf,  and  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Ignatius  Matthews, 
Lewis  Roels,  and  John  Bolton,  who  were  then  residing 
with  him  near  Port  Tobacco.  He  took  an  active  part 
in  these  important  deliberations  of  the  infant  American 
Church,  and  signed  the  articles  of  government  adopt- 
ed in  those  meetings. 

Though  Father  Neale's  position  in  Charles  county  was 
one  of  zealous  and  laborious  service,  he  yet  longed  for 
some  other  mission,  where. he  could  perform  more  exten- 
sive and  more  valuable  services  to  religion.  In  1793 
such  a  vineyard  was  presented  to  his  zeal  and  ardent  en- 
thusiasm, and  he  embraced  it  with  great  joy  and  invinci- 
ble courage.  The  city  of  Philadelphia  had  been  for  some 
months  a  prey  to  the  ravages  of  the  yellow  fever,  which 
continued  with  unabated  violence  to  strike  down  its 
victims  in  great  numbers.  In  the  midst  of  the  appalling 
calamity,  the  Catholics  of  Philadelphia  sustained  the 
heaviest  of  afflictions  in  the  loss  of  their  devoted  and  un- 
tiring pastors,  Fathers  Groesler  and  Fleming,  who,  while 
engaged  in  their  self-sacrificing  ministry  to  their  flock,  fell 
victims  to  the  plague  and  their  own  zeal.  Deplorable 
was  the  condition  of  the  Catholics  of  Philadelphia :  dis- 
ease and  death  stalked  abroad  in  their  midst,  and  there 
was  no  priest  to  cheer  the  last  moments  of  the  expiring 
victims  with  the  consolations  of  religion.  At  this  awful 
crisis  the  intrepid  and  veteran  Father  Neale  stood  forth 
ready  and  anxious  to  accept  the  call  of  his  superior,  and 
to  fly,  like  a  ministering  angel,  to  the  city  of  the  pesti- 
lence and  of  death — a  favorite  field  for  him.  Undaunted 
by  the  enfeebled  condition  of  his  own  health,  Father 


Most  Rev.  Leonard  Neale,  D.D.  125 

Neale  repaired  with  cheerfulness  to  the  scene  of  the 
plague,  and  took  the  place  of  those  noble  soldiers  of  the 
cross  who  had  so  gloriously  fallen  at  their  post.  His 
heroic  devotion  to  the  afflicted  flock  of  Philadelphia  has 
ever  been  the  theme  of  praise,  and  is  a  beautiful  evidence 
of  the  holy  character  of  the  true  faith.  "Amid  the  scenes 
of  distress  that  were  here  encountered,  the  pious  mis- 
sionary found  an  ample  scope  for  the  full  exercise  of  his 
charity  and  zeal.  During  the  prevalence  of  the  fever  he 
toiled  with  a  strength  and  cheerfulness  that  could  not 
have  been  expected  from  one  so  weak  and  shattered. 
He  was  incessant  in  his  attentions  to  the  welfare  of  his 
neighbor,  administering  the  sacraments,  consoling  the 
sinner,  and  performing  every  spiritual  and  corporal  act 
of  mercy."  Father  Neale's  mission  in  Philadelphia  con- 
tinued six  years.  He  also  held  the  office  of  Vicar-Gen- 
eral to  Bishop  Carroll.  When  the  yellow  fever  visited 
Philadelphia  again,  in  1797  and  1798,  we  find  him  renew- 
ing all  his  exertions  in  aid  of  the  sick  and  dying ;  though 
bending  under  his  infirmities,  he  displayed  an  almost  su- 
pernatural vigor,  amid  the  exciting  scenes  of  the  desolat- 
ing scourge.  In  the  midst  of  his  charities  the  good 
missionary  was  himself  stricken  down  by  the  plague. 
The  unalterable  patience  and  admirable  resignation  to 
the  will  of  God,  with  which  he  bore  his  sufferings,  made 
him  an  example  to  all  the  other  sufferers.  "  The  meas- 
ure of  his  usefulness  was  not  yet  filled  up,  for  it  pleased 
Almighty  God  to  restore  him  to  health,  and  spare  him 
for  many  higher  and  more  important  services  to  his 
Church."  As  pastor  at  Philadelphia,  his  name  is  indis- 
solubly  connected  with  the  history  of  the  Church  in  that 
city.  Though  a  greater  part  of  his  missionary  life  there 
was  one  of  intense  excitement  and  unremitting  labor,  in 


126  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

consequence  of  the  repeated  visitations  of  the  fever,  he 
still  found  time  to  promote  the  steady  growth  and  per- 
manency of  religion  there.  The  following  account  of  the 
interesting  tradition,  in  relation  to  the  first  establishment 
of  a  Catholic  priest  in  Philadelphia,  is  from  his  pen  :— 
"  The  Superior  of  the  Jesuits  in  Maryland,  having  been 
informed  that  there  were  many  Catholics  in  the  capital  of 
Pennsylvania,  resolved  to  endeavor  to  establish  a  mission 
there.  The  priest*  designed  for  this  had  an  acquaint- 
ance in  Lancaster  of  the  name  of  Doyle,  whom  he  visited, 
and  requested  him  to  furnish  the  name  of  some  respect- 
able Catholic  in  Philadelphia.  Being  referred  to  a 
wealthy  old  lady  remarkable  for  her  attachment  to  the 
ancient  faith,  he  waited  on  her  in  the  garb  of  a  Quaker, 
and  after  making  inquiries  about  the  various  denomina- 
tions of  Christians  in  the  city,  asked  first  if  there  were 
any  Catholics,  and  finally  if  she  was  one ;  to  which  she 
answered  in  the  affirmative.  He  informed  her  that  he 
was  of  the  same  communion.  Being  informed  that  the 
Catholics  had  no  place  of  worship,  he  desired  to  know  if 
they  would  wish  to  have  a  church.  To  which  the  lady 
replied,  they  would  most  certainly,  but  the  great  diffi- 
culty would  be  to  find  a  clergyman ;  for  although  there 
were  priests  in  Maryland,  it  was  impossible  to  procure 
one  from  thence.  He  then  informed  the  lady  that  he 
was  a  priest,  and  of  the  intention  of  his  visit.  Overjoyed 
at  the  sight  of  a  priest  after  many  years'  privation  of  that 
consolation,  she  communicated  the  intelligence  to  her 
Catholic  acquaintance,  and  invited  them  to  meet  him  at 
her  house.  A  considerable  number  assembled,  the  most 
of  whom  were  Germans.  The  priest  explained  to  them 

*  Father  Greaton,  who  went  to  Philadelphia  in  1730:  the  house  in  which  he  first 
performed  the  sacred  offices  was  on  the  north-west  corner  of  Front  and  Walnut  streets. 


Most  Rev.  Leonard  Neale,  D.D.  127 

the  object  of  his  visit,  and  a  subscription  wab  immediately 
commenced  to  procure  the  means  to  purchase  ground 
and  build  a  church.  With  the  money  raised  they  pur- 
chased the  house  and  lot  belonging  to  the  lady,  who  also 
acted  very  generously  in  promoting  the  pious  under 
taking." 

Notwithstanding  the  extended  labors  of  his  mission  in 
Philadelphia,  which  were  rendered  unusually  arduous  by 
the  continued  and  repeated  visitations  of  the  fever,  Mr. 
Neale  found  time  to  undertake  the  realization  of  a  great 
and  holy  design,  which  he  had  long  before  formed  and 
ardently  cherished ;  this  was  the  establishment  in  the 
United  States  of  a  religious  community  for  pious  females, 
devoted  to  the  service  of  God  and  the  education  of  the 
youth  of  their  own  sex.  There  seems  indeed  to  have 
been  something  providential  in  the  circumstances  which 
brought  together  in  the  same  city  the  projector  and 
father,  and  the  foundress  and  first  mother,  of  the  Visita- 
tion Nuns  in  America.  Among  the  penitents  of  Father 
Neale  in  Philadelphia  was  a  lady  of  great  zeal  and  piety, 
and  of  remarkable  amiability  and  cheerfulness  of  disposi- 
tion, and  whose  mind  and  soul  were  enriched  with  every 
faculty  and  grace  which  could  mark  her  out  to  the  ob- 
servant eye  of  Mr.  Neale  as  the  future  head  of  the  reli- 
gious order  which  he  had  so  long  desired  to  found. 
This  lady  was  Miss  Alice  Lalor.  She  was  born  in  1766, 
in  Queen's  county,  Ireland,  but  was  reared  in  Kilkenny, 
whither  her  pious  and  worthy  parents  had  removed 
shortly  after  her  birth.  Here  she  enjoyed  the  advantage 
of  the  spiritual  guidance  of  the  saintly  Father  Carroll. 
So  ardent  was  her  piety  and  so  devout  and  exemplary 
her  life,  that  not  only  her  confessor,  but  her  bishop,  the 
Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Lanigan,  were  charmed  with  her  example 


128  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

and  conceived  the  highest  estimate  of  her  virtues.  She 
ardently  longed  to  dedicate  herself  to  Almighty  God, 
and  disclosed  her  aspirations  only  to  her  bishop  and  con- 
fessor. Finding  insuperable  difficulties  in  her  embracing, 
at  that  time,  a  cloistered  life,  she  desired  at  least  to 
honor  God  by  making  in  the  world  a  vow  of  perpetual 
chastity.  After  long  and  successful  trials  of  her  con- 
stancy and  piety,  -the  bishop  permitted  her  to  make  this 
vow.  Bishop  Lanigan  was  himself  meditating  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  religious  community  in  Kilkenny,  and  de- 
signed Miss  Lalor  for  one  of  its  future  members.  But  in 
1797  her  parents  emigrated  from  Ireland  and  settled  in 
America,  and  she  felt  it  to  be  her  duty  to  submit  to  their 
desire  that  she  would  accompany  them ;  but  she  pro- 
mised the  bishop  to  return  in  two  years,  in  order  to  ac- 
complish their  cherished  plan.  On  arriving  at  Philadel- 
phia she  became  acquainted  with  the  Rev.  Leonard 
Neale,  whom  she  took  for  her  confessor,  and  to  whom 
she  confided  all  the  secrets  of  her  soul,  and  especially 
her  promise  to  return  to  Ireland  and  enter  a  religious 
order.  Feeling  convinced  that  it  was  the  design  of  Pro- 
vidence that  she  should  not  abandon  America  for  Ire- 
land, Father  Neale,  who  as  her  confessor  was  invested 
with  authority  in  the  case,  released  her  from  her  promise 
to  return  to  Kilkenny  in  two  years,  in  order  that  she 
might  become  his  co-operator  in  the  foundation  of  a  reli- 
gious order  in  the  United  States.  Well  practised,  as 
was  this  extraordinary  woman  in  the  virtue  of  obedi- 
ence, she  yielded  to  the  counsel  of  her  confessor,  as  the 
representative  of  God  himself,  and  followed  his  direc- 
tions. There  were  two  other  ladies  among  Father 
Neale's  penitents,  to  whom  he  communicated  his  plans, 
and  whose  souls  were  ripe  and  ardent  to  aid  in  their  ac- 


Most  Rev.  Leonard  Neale,  D.D.  1 29 

complishment.  Not  having  determined  upon  the  parti- 
cular institute  he  would  adopt  for  his  sisters,  Father 
Neale  commenced  simply  with  a  female  school,  to  be 
conducted  by  these  three  ladies.  But  the  plague  over- 
took this  good  work  in  its  infancy :  Miss  Lalor's  parents, 
with  thousands  of  others,  fled  from  the  city ;  as  she  pre- 
ferred to  remain  at  her  post  of  duty  in  the  midst  of  pesti- 
lence and  death,  they  could  not  induce  her  to  accompany 
them.  Her  two  companions,  however,  fell  victims  to  the 
fever,  and  Miss  Lalor  was  left  alone ;  she  did  not,  how- 
ever, for  an  instant  abandon  her  hopes  of  some  day  con- 
secrating herself  to  God  by  a  life  of  seclusion  and  prayer. 
In  1798  the  Rev.  Leonard  Neale  was  summoned  by 
Bishop  Carroll  from  Philadelphia  to  Georgetown,  to 
succeed  the  Rev.  Dr.  Dubourg  in  the  presidency  of  the 
college,  and  in  the  following  year  he  repaired  to  George- 
town to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  his  new  position.  Un- 
der the  able  and  enlightened  administration  of  Dr.  Du- 
bourg this  institution  had  greatly  increased  in  favor  with 
the  Catholics  of  the  United  States,  and  had  acquired 
great  reputation  among  all  classes  as  one  of  the  best 
classical  schools  in  the  country.  To  the  duties  of  presi- 
dent, father  Neale  added  those  of  tutor,  which  he  con- 
tinued several  years  to  discharge.  He  was  the  first 
president  who,  in  compliance  with  a  previous  resolution 
of  the  directors,  took  up  his  residence  in  the  institution. 
But  heretofore,  Georgetown  had  been  nothing  more  in 
fact  than  an  academy  ;  it  was  under  Mr.  Neale's  adminis- 
tration that  it  was  raised  to  the  grade  and  usefulness  of 
a  college.  The  board  of  directors  met  on  the  twenty- 
seventh  of  July,  1801,  and  passed  the  following  resolu- 
tion :  "  That  the  first  day  of  October  next  be  the  day 
appointed  for  those  of  the  students  who  shall  be  judged 
9 


'130  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

qualified  to  commence  their  course  of  philosophy,  where- 
of due  notice  shall  be  given  by  the  president  jointly  with 
the  prefect  of  studies  to  the  parties  concerned ;  and  that 
the  President  be  requested  to  carry  the  present  resolu- 
tion into  effect."  Thus,  under  the  energetic  and  wise 
administration  of  Mr.  Neale,  this  venerable  and  invalu- 
able institution  took  its  position  among  the  colleges  of 
the  country.  As  President  of  Georgetown  College, 
Father  Neale  left  a  high  reputation  behind  him,  and  his 
many  virtues  will  long  be  remembered.  The  following 
remark  of  a  Catholic  *  writer  will  prove  how  the  memory 
of  his  virtues  has  remained  amongst  those  who  knew 
him  well : — "  It  would  seem,  from  the  affectionate  manner 
in  which  the  old  Catholics  of  Maryland  remember  Father 
Neale,  who  was  for  several  years  president  of  the  col- 
lege, that  he  died  but  yesterday.  His  labors  were  not 
in  vain." 

His  arduous  and  extended  duties  as  the  only  Bishop  in 
the  United  States,  had  as  early  as  the  year  1791  induced 
Bishop  Carroll  to  apply  to  Rome  for  a  division  of  the 
country  into  two  bishoprics,  or  the  appointment  of  a 
coadjutor  Bishop  to  the  see  of  Baltimore.  The  latter 
plan  was  finally  adopted  and  carried  into  effect.  No  one 
was  better  acquainted  with  the  profound  learning,  the 
ardent  zeal,  and  eminent  qualifications  of  Father  Neale 
than  Bishop  Carroll.  He  had  consequently  nominated 
Mr.  Neale  without  his  knowledge,  as  the  coadjutor, 
with  the  right  of  succession  to  the  see  of  Baltimore. 
While  that  humble  priest  was  in  the  discharge  of  his  du- 
ties as  President  of  Georgetown  College,  he  was  sur- 
prised by  the  arrival  of  the  papal  bulls  appointing  him 
Bishop  of  Gortyna  in  partibus  and  coadjutor  to  the 

*   The  Metropolitan. 


Most  Rev.  Leonard  Neale,  D.D.  131 

Bishop  of  Baltimore,  cum  jure  successionis..  Gladly 
would  he  have  shrunk  from  this  appointment,  but  as  a 
follower  of  Loyola  he  had  been  well  trained  to  the  virtue 
of  obedience — Rome  now  spoke  and  he  obeyed.  He 
was  consecrated  by  Bishop  Carroll  in  the  course  of  the 
year  1800.  His  biographer  in  the  Catholic  Almanac 
thus  speaks  of  the  manner  in  which  he  accepted  and 
bore  the  high  and  unexpected  dignity  in  the  Church, 
which  had  just  been  conferred  upon  him : — "  As  the  hu- 
mility of  Mr.  Neale  had  prompted  him  to  shun  the  honors 
and  dignities  to  which  his  merit  and  virtue  were  en- 
titled, they  effected  no  other  change  in  him  than  that  of 
a  still  greater  fidelity  to  God.  His  mind  was  neither 
elated  by  prosperity  nor  depressed  by  adversity  ;  and 
the  peaceful  spirit  which  accompanied  him  on  all  occa- 
sions, seemed  to  extend  its  influence  over  all  who  ap- 
proached." In  this  spirit  he  continued  as  before  to  dis- 
charge his  duties  at  Georgetown  College,  where  he  held 
the  office  of  President  till  1806,  when  he  resigned  it  into 
the  hands  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Molyneux. 

During  the  period  that  Mr.  Neale  presided  over  the 
college,  he  did  not  cease  to  think  of  his  long  proposed 
and  cherished  institution,  nor  relax  his  exertions  for  its 
early  establishment.  At  Georgetown  were  settled  a  few 
religious  of  the  Order  of  St.  Clare,  or  Poor  Clares,  who, 
for  tneir  support,  were  compelled  to  teach  a  school, 
which  was  situated  on  Lafayette  street.  By  the  advice 
of  Bishop  Neale,  Miss  Lalor  repaired  to  Georgetown, 
accompanied  by  another  lady  of  Philadelphia,  who  took 
up  their  residence  with  the  Poor  Clares,  in  order  that  in 
retirement  and  prayer  they  might  be  enabled  to  discover 
the  particular  religious  order  for  which  they  had  received 
vocations.  Shortly  afterwards,  Miss  Lalor  and  her  com- 


132  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

panion  opened  a  separate  school,  and  they  were  soon 
joined  by  another  lady  from  Philadelphia,  whose  acces- 
sion was  of  very  material  service  to  them,  as  she  brought 
with  her  a  small  fortune.  This  was  chiefly  expended  in 
the  purchase  of  a  frame  dwelling  and  lot,  embraced 
within  the  present  enclosure  of  the  Sisters  of  the  Visita- 
tion. Not  long  after  his  appointment  to  the  coadjutor- 
ship,  Bishop  Neale,  after  much  reflection  and  constant 
prayer,  determined  to  prescribe  for  them  the  institute  of 
the  Nuns  of  the  Visitation,  as  founded  by  St.  Francis  de 
Sales,  with  the  co-operation  of  Ste.  Jane  Frances  de 
Chantal  and  other  sisters,  and  whose  first  efforts  at  An- 
necy,  as  has  been  well  observed,  were  strikingly  similar 
to  the  first  commencement  of  the  Visitation  at  George- 
town. Encouraged  in  his  efforts  by  the  desire  of  the 
Catholics  of  the  District  of  Columbia  to  have  a  school 
established  there,  for  the  education  of  their  children  in 
religion  and  in  learning,  and  by  the  gradual  increase  of 
the  community,  the  good  bishop  drew  up  a  form  of  rules 
for  the  sisters,  whom,  however,  he  did  not  as  yet  permit 
to  enter  even  into  simple  vows.  He  permitted  them, 
however,  to  observe  enclosure  as  far  as  the  circumstan- 
ces of  their  position  would  render  it  practicable.  The 
members  of  this  interesting  little  community  were  known 
among  the  people  of  Georgetown  and  vicinity  as  the 
"  Pious  Ladies,"  a  name  strongly  indicative  of  the  edi- 
fying and  holy  lives  they  led. 

Having,  as  we  have  stated,  determined  to  adopt  for 
the  new  community  the  institute  of  the  Sisters  of  the  Vi- 
sitation of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  Bishop  Neale  ap- 
plied to  the  sisters  of  that  Order  in  Europe  for  a  small 
colony  of  nuns  to  aid  in  the  commencement  of  this  new 
foundation,  but  his  request  failed  in  consequence  of  tl  e 


Most  Rev.  Leonard  NeaJe,  D.D.  133 

poverty  of  the  Georgetown  ladies,  who  could  not  defray 
the  necessary  expenses  of  transporting  the  sisters  from 
Europe.  This  and  many  other  difficulties  attending  the 
introduction  of  the  Visitation  Order  into  the  United  States 
at  that  time,  caused  many  of  their  friends  to  believe  that 
it  would  become  necessary  for  the  "  Pious  Ladies  "  to 
unite  themselves  to  the  Carmelite  Convent  near  Port 
Tobacco.  Bishop  Carroll  himself  advised  them  to  take 
that  step.  But  Bishop  Neale,  being  convinced  of  the 
superior  and  peculiar  fitness  of  the  Visitation  Nuns  for  a 
country  whose  inhabitants  were  mostly  Protestants,  was 
not  so  easily  deterred  from  his  favorite  plan.  So  firm 
was  he  in  his  purpose,  that  he  declined  the  offer  of  a  rich 
lady,  who  proposed  to  go  herself  to  Ireland  for  sisters, 
provided  the  Bishop  would  adopt  the  Ursulines  instead 
of  the  Visitation  Sisters.  Fortunately,  Miss  Lalor  and 
her  companions  had  accidentally  discovered,  among  the 
books  of  the  Poor  Clares,  a  complete  copy  of  the  consti- 
tution and  rules  of  the  Visitation  Nuns,  and  they  con- 
tinued to  live  according  to  its  rules  and  recommenda- 
tions, as  far  as  their  circumstances  would  permit.  In 
1805  the  Poor  Clares  lost  their  abbess  ;  her  successor, 
Madame  de  la  Rochefoucault,  sold  their  convent  property 
to  Bishop  Neale,  by  deed  bearing  date  on  the  29th  of 
June  of  that  year,  and  the  community  of  St.  Clare  re- 
turned to  Europe.  Bishop  ]Sieale  immediately  installed 
his  sisters  in  the  new  establishment  he  had  purchased 
for  them,  and  by  deed  bearing  date  on  the  9th  of  June, 
1808,  confirmed  by  a  second  deed  bearing  date  on  the 
9th  of  June,  1812,  conveyed  the  property  to  Alice  Lalor, 
Maria  McDermott,  and  Mary  Neale.  In  1813  their  num- 
bers had  reached  thirteen,  and  the  good  Bishop  then  per- 
mitted them  to  enter  into  simple  vows,  which  they  were 


134  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

to  renew  annually.  Miss  Lalor,  who,  like  Bishop  Neale, 
had  been  so  long  and  perseveringly  laboring  in  this  good 
and  holy  work,  and  whose  efforts  were  now  about  to  be 
crowned  with  success,  was  with  great  propriety  selected 
as  the  superior  of  the  new  institution.  She  was  emi- 
nently qualified  for  the  task  of  leading  and  directing 
others  in  that  life  of  holiness  and  self-sacrifice,  which  had 
been  her  chief  aim  and  study  for  many  years.  It  was 
also  the  greatest  solicitude  of  Bishop  Neale  to  conduct 
his  spiritual  daughters  to  the  practice  of  Christian  perfec- 
tion, and  to  the  full  realization  of  the  high  and  sacred 
vocation  which  they  had  embraced.  This  he  did  not 
only  by  his  fervid  and  inspiring  exhortations  and  instruc- 
tions, but  still  more  by  his  pure  and  saintly  example.  In 
the  many  trials  and  difficulties  which  the  sisters  encoun- 
tered, in  their  efforts  to  introduce  into  the  United  States 
the  institute  of  the  Visitation,  they  ever  found  in  their 
holy  father  and  spiritual  director  a  source  of  consolation 
and  encouragement,  and  his  humble,  patient,  and  firm 
example  always  inspired  them  with  fresh  vigor  and  per- 
severance. 

By  the  death  of  Archbishop  Carroll,  on  the  3d  of 
December,  1815,  the  succession  to  the  archbishopric  of 
Baltimore  devolved  upon  Bishop  Neale,  who,  at  the  age  of 
almost  seventy,  was  called  upon  to  assume  the  arduous 
and  awful  duties  of  that  high  office.  In  the  following  year 
he  received  the  pallium  from  Pope  Pius  VII.  Enfeebled  by 
old  age,  disease,  and  the  labors  of  an  active  life  of  mis- 
sionary service,  Archbishop  Neale  felt  that  the  duties, 
labors,  and  responsibilities  of  his  position  were  far  be- 
yond his  strength.  He  entered,  however,  upon  his 
office,  with  the  energy  which  belonged  to  his  character, 
and  the  courage  of  a  veteran  soldier.  Residing  mostly 


Most  Rev.  Leonard  Neale,  D.D.  135 

at  Georgetown,  near  his  beloved  Sisterhood  of  the  Visi 
tation,  he  appeared  in  Baltimore  on  all  solemn  and  im- 
portant occasions,  and  whenever  his  duties  or  the  inter 
ests  of  the  archdiocese  required  his  presence  there.  On 
these  occasions  he  devoted  himself,  with  remarkable 
promptness  and  energy,  for  one  of  his  age  and  infirmities, 
to  the  business  of  the  vast  diocese  committed  to  his  gov- 
ernment. The  Catholic  Almanac  thus  describes  his 
mode  of  life  after  his  accession  to  the  see  of  Baltimore  :— 
"  Though  the  highest  dignitary  in  the  Church  of  the 
United  States,  he  lived  in  the  silence  of  retirement,  which 
charity  only,  or  the  duties  of  his  station,  could  induce 
him  to  interrupt.  He  was  never  unoccupied.  If  the 
duties  of  the  ministry  left  him  a  leisure  moment,  he  had 
recourse  to  prayer,  which,  even  in  his  intercourse  with 
others,  he  did  not  entirely  abandon.  His  attention 
always  fixed  on  God  imparted  to  his  words  a  spirit  of 
piety  which  was  a  source  of  edification  to  all.  Whatever 
related  to  the  interests  of  religion  was  a  matter  of  deep 
concern  for  Archbishop  Neale,  whp,  like  the  illustrious 
founder  of  his  Order,  proposed  to  himself  the  glory  of 
God  as  the  principal  end  of  all  his  actions." 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  Archbishop  Neale,  upon  his 
accession  to  the  see  of  Baltimore,  was  to  petition  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff,  Pius  VII.,  for  the  power  to  establish  * 
a  monastery  of  the  Visitation  Order  at  Georgetown, 
clothed  with  all  the  rights  and  privileges  enjoyed  by  the 
religious  houses  of  that  institute  in  Europe.  Pius  VII. 
cordially  approved  the  motives  and  objects  of  this  peti- 
tion, and  readily  granted  the  request.  Thus  Archbishop 
Neale  had  the  happiness  of  seeing  his  favorite  work  of 
benevolence  and  religion  crowned  with  success,  and  the 
Order  of  the  Visitation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  as 


136  Lives,  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

founded  by  St.  Francis  de  Sales  and  Ste.  Jane  Frances 
de  Chantal,  was  regularly  established  in  the  United 
States.  He  also  displayed  his  paternal  care  and  good- 
ness for  his  spiritual  daughters  by  appointing  as  their 
spiritual  director  the  Abbe  Cloriviere,  a  holy  priest  dis- 
tinguished for  his  energy,  his  prudence,  and  his  ardent 
zeal  and  piety.  His  efforts  and  success  in  founding  and 
fostering  the  Order  of  the  Visitation  Nuns  in  the  United 
States,  are  the  crowning  glory  of  Archbishop  Neale's 
life,  and  entitle  him  to  the  gratitude  of  his  country. 
Since  his  death,  that  excellent  and  devout  community 
have  continued  to  flourish  and  expand,  and  have  now  in 
several  of  our  principal  cities  convents  of  their  order, 
conducted  by  four  hundred  sisters,  who  are  daily  devot- 
ing their  talents,  labors,  and  pious  examples  to  the  edu- 
cation and  edification  of  the  rising  generation,  who  will 
carry  with  them  into  society  those  elegant  accomplish- 
ments and  Christian  virtues  so  becoming  to  the  female 
character.  "  Such  was  the  origin  of  the  Visitation  Nuns 
in  the  United  States,,  nor  is  it  without  striking  points  of 
resemblance  to  its  foundation  in  Europe.  The  energy 
and  perseverance  of  Bishop  Neale  recall  the  pious 
efforts  of  St.  Francis  de  Sales  for  the  same  holy  en- 
terprise. In  both  cases  a  bishop  gave  the  first  impulse : 
in  both  hemispheres  an  isolated  lady  lays  the  first  foun- 
dation, undeterred  by  any  obstacles ;  and  if  in  Europe 
the  Visitation  soon  opened  its  convents  in  twenty  dif- 
ferent spots  in  France,  so  in  America  the  mother-house 
at  Georgetown  soon  had  branches  on  every  side."* 

The  death  of  the  saintly  Father  Nagot  at  St.  Mary's 
College,  in  1816,  made  a  deep  impression  on  Archbishop 
Neale.  The  holy  Prelate  had  for  a  long  time  felt  the 

*  The  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States,  by  De  Courcy  and  Shea. 


Most  Rev.  Leonard  Neale,  D.D.  137 

heavy  hand  of  time  and  the  inroads  of  disease  upon  his 
constitution.  His  own  humility,  still  more,  induced  him 
to  believe  that  he  was  unequal  to  the  task  of  governing 
the  vast  diocese  of  Baltimore.  Under  these  circumstan- 
ces he  looked  around  for  some  person  who  would  be  a 
suitable  one  to  be  associated  with  him  in  his  office. 
The  eminent  qualifications  and  exalted  virtues  of  Bishop 
Cheverus,  of  Boston,  at  once  induced  him  to  select  that 
Prelate,  and  Archbishop  Neale  accordingly  applied  to 
Rome  to  have  Bishop  Cheverus  associated  with  him  in 
the  archiepiscopal  office,  with  the  right  of  succession. 
The  Sovereign  Pontiff  readily  consented  to  make  the 
change,  but  suggested  the  necessity  of  finding  a  suitable 
person  to  succeed  Bishop  Cheverus  in  the  see  of  Boston. 
Archbishop  Neale  then  requested  Bishop  Cheverus  to 
visit  him,  in  order,  to  confer  on  subjects  of  grave  impor- 
tance to  the  American  Church.  On  visiting  the  arch- 
bishop, the  Bishop  of  Boston  was  greatly  surprised  and 
deeply  afflicted  at  the  nature  of  the  correspondence  with 
Rome.  So  urgent  and  cogent  were  the  reasons  assign- 
ed by  Bishop  Cheverus  against  the  proposed  change, 
that  Archbishop  Neale  was  constrained  to  acquiesce. 
But  being  anxious  to  secure  the  assistance  of  Bishop 
Cheverus,  the  Archbishop  proposed  that  the  former 
should  remain  Bishop  of  Boston  and  visit  Baltimore  from 
time  to  time,  in  order  to  give  the  Archbishop  the  benefit 
of  his  advice,  aid,  and  consolation,  and  in  the  event  of  his 
death,  to  succeed  him  in  the  see  of  Baltimore.  But 
Bishop  Cheverus  saw  in  this  plan  insuperable  difficulties, 
and  proposed  in  lieu  thereof  that  Archbishop  Neale 
should  have  a  coadjutor  bishop  appointed,  with  the  right 
of  succession,  and  proposed  the  names  of  several  Jesuits 
for  the  place,  besides  that  of  the  Rev.  Ambrose  Mare- 


138  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

chal,  of  the  Order  of  St.  Sulpice.  The  Archbir.h 
after  much  consideration  and  prayer,  decided  upon  T 
Marechal,  and  he  applied  to  the  Holy  See  to  appoint 
him  his  coadjutor  and  successor.  This  arrangement  was 
approved  by  the  Holy  See,  and  a  papal  brief  of  July  24, 
1817,  appointed  Mr.  Marechal  coadjutor,  with  the  right 
of  succession  to  Archbishop  Neale,  with  the  title  of 
Bishop  of  Stauropolis  in  partibus  injidelium.  But  be- 
fpre  the  arrival  of  this  brief  the  saintly  and  venerable 
Archbishop  Neale  had  sunk  under  the  weight  of  his 
years  and  infirmities,  at  his  residence  attached  to  the 
Convent  at  Georgetown,  June  15,  1817.  His  remains 
were  deposited  in  the  convent  chapel,  under  the  altar, 
where  they  still  rest,  surrounded  by  the  precious  remains 
of  those  of  his  spiritual  daughters  who  have  followed  him 
to  heaven,  and  an  object  of  veneration  to  those  who  re- 
main to  speak  his  many  virtues  and  praise  his  good 
deeds.  "  Thus  in  death  was  he  placed  where  his  affec- 
tions were  strongest  in  life,  and  thus  in  the  last  honors 
to  his  mortal  remains  was  presented  the  parallel  to  the 
last  sad  tribute  to  St.  Francis  of  Sales.  The  body  of 
Archbishop  Neale  sleeps  under  the  convent  he  founded 
in  America ;  that  of  St.  Francis  under  the  church  of  the 
convent  which  he  founded  in  Europe.  Annecy  has  her 
saint,  so  may  we  hope  Georgetown  has  hers."  * 

*  Notice  by  M.  C.  Jenkins. 


RIGHT  REV.  FRANCIS  PORRO,  D.D. 

Second  Bishop  of  New  Orleans,  A.D.  1802.* 

THE  only  information  we  have  of  Bishop  Porro  is 
given  by  Archbishop  Spalding,  in  his  Life  of  Bishop 
Flaget,  in  the  following  words  :  "  Soon  after  the  resig- 
nation of  the  first  Bishop  of  New  Orleans,  a  second  was 
appointed,  and  consecrated  at  Rome,  in  1802.  He 
never,  however,  reached  his  see,  having  died  in  the 
Eternal  City  on  the  eve  of  his  contemplated  departure. 
We  are  not  even  acquainted  with  his  name ;  but  it  is 
known  that  he  was  a  Franciscan,  of  the  Convent  of  the 
Holy  Apostles,  at  Rome.  When  Bishop  Portier  was 
there,  in  1829,  he  saw,  among  the  portraits  of  the  de- 
ceased members  of  the  convent,  that  of  the  second  Bishop 
of  New  Orleans,  whose  memory  was  revered  by  his 
brethren.  From  this  fact  it  would  appear  that  Dr. 
Dubourg  was  really  only  the  third  bishop  of  that  city." 

So  little  was  known  of  Bishop  Porro,  that  it  was  only 
in  recent  years  that  his  name  was  brought  to  light,  and 
placed  in  our  Catholic  almanacs ;  a  service  for  which  we 
are  indebted  to  Mr.  John  Gilmary  Shea. 

*  Authorities :    Archbishop  Spalding's  Life  of  Bishop  Flaget ;  Catholic  Alma 
*•     %  etc. 


RIGHT  REV.  LUKE  CONCANEN,  D.D. 

First  Bishop  of  New  York,  A.D.  1808.* 

IN  1808,  Pope  Pius  VII.,  yielding  to  the  increasing 
wants  of  the  American  Church,  erected  Baltimore  into 
an  archiepiscopal  see,  with  four  suffragan  sees,  of  which 
the  new  See  of  New  York  was  one.  The  Rev.  Luke 
Concanen  of  Rome  was  appointed  first  Bishop  of  New 
York. 

He  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  where  he  was  reared  and 
educated,  and  at  an  early  age  was  sent  to  receive  the 
white  habit  of  St.  Dominic  at  Lorraine,  in  the  Convent 
of  the  Holy  Cross,  belonging  to  the  Irish  Dominicans. 
After  completing  his  novitiate  at  Lorraine,  he  went  to 
St.  Mary's,  in  "the  Minerva  at  Rome,"  where  he  com- 
pleted his  regular  collegiate  course  of  theology  with 
great  distinction.  At  this  early  period  of  his  life  he  was 
appointed  to  a  professorship  in  the  Dominican  Convent 
of  St.  Clement's,  at  Rome,  which,  together  with  St. 
Sixtus,  at  Rome,  the  convent  at  Lorraine,  and  another  at 
Lisbon,  was  kept  up  by  the  Church  in  order  to  preserve 
the  Order  of  English  and  Irish  Dominicans,  after  the  sup- 
pression of  the  convents  in  Great  Britain,  and  during 
the  days  of  persecution  succeeding  the  so-called  Reforma- 
tion. His  career  in  Rome  was  one  of  great  brilliancy 
and  usefulness,  amidst  the  host  of  learned  and  distin- 

*  Authorities :    De  Courcy  &   Shea's    Catholic   Church  in  the   United  States; 
Bishop  Bayley's  Catholic  Church  in  Ne~M  York;  Bishop  Spalding,  Sketches  of  A'en- 
vt  etc. 


Right  Rev.  Luke  Concanen,  D.D.  141 

guished  divines  there  assembled  from  all  parts  of  the 
Christian  world.  He  occupied  for  several  years  the 
office  of  Theologus  Casanatensis,  a  chair  founded  at  the 
Minerva  in  connection  with  the  celebrated  library  there, 
instituted  and  endowed  by  the  munificence  of  the  illus- 
tirous  Cardinal  Casanate.  In  this  institution,  a  learned 
member  of  the  Order  of  Preachers  was  selected  from 
each  of  the  great  provinces  of  the  Order  in  Europe,  viz.  : 
France,  Spain,  Italy,  Germany,  Great  Britain,  and  the 
Low  Countries,  or  Poland.  The  condition  annexed  by 
the  Cardinal  for  these  appointments,  that  the  incumbent 
should  have  acquired  a  doctorship  by  teaching  the  theo- 
logical course  of  St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  was  fulfilled  in  an 
eminent  degree  by  Dr.  Concanen,  who  was  selected  to 
represent  his  Order  and  country  in  the  Minerva.  He 
was  also  elected  prior  of  the  Convent  of  St.  Clement's 
at  Rome,  and  was  first  appointed  the  agent  at  Rome  of 
the  late  Dr.  Troy,  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  and  afterwards 
of  all  the  bishops  of  Ireland.  Such  was  his  eminence  at 
Rome,  that  he  enjoyed  the  personal  friendship  of  the 
Holy  Father,  who  appointed  him  to  the  vacant  Irish 
bishopric  of  Kilmacduagh,  which  Dr.  Cancanen  was 
obliged  to  decline  in  consequence  of  his  delicate  health. 
And  such  was  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  at  the 
Propaganda,  that  his  influence  or  counsels  went  far  in 
determining  the  ecclesiastical  appointments  for  his  na- 
tive country.  He  was  also  deeply  interested  in  the  mis- 
sions of  America,  and  had  suggested  the  foundation  of, 
and  had  largely  contributed- in  sustaining  the  Dominican 
Convent  of  St.  Rose,  in  Kentucky,  of  which  he  remained 
a  liberal  benefactor  during  his  life.  He  acquired  a  high 
reputation  as  a  pulpit  orator,  and,  what  is  very  rare 
among  foreigners,  was  an  eloquent  and  popular  preacher 


142  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

in  the  Italian  language.  Though  his  health  was  some- 
what impaired  by  sickness,  he  was  at  the  time  of  his 
appointment  to  New  York  actively  engaged  in  discharg- 
ing his  general  duties  in  the  ministry  and  as  a  preacher, 
and  at  the  same  time  filled  the  offices  of  Librarian  and 
Professor  in  the  Minerva,  Secretary  of  the  Dominican 
Province  of  Great  Britain,  and  agent  of  the  Irish  Bishops, 
Prior  of  St.  Clement's,  and  several  minor  offices  con- 
nected with  the  Propaganda  and  other  institutions  at 
Rome.  After  an  active  and  distinguished  residence  of 
forty  years  in  that  city,  he  accepted  the  arduous  and  un- 
inviting bishopric  of  New  York,  in  preference  to  the 
appointment  tendered  him  previously  in  his  native 
country.  It  was  hoped  by  himself  and  his  friends  that 
the  milder  and  drier  climate  of  New  York  would  better 
suit  his  health  than  the  damp  atmosphere  of  Ireland. 

He  was  consecrated  at  Rome,  April  24,  iSb8,  by  Car- 
dinal Antonelli,  Prefect  of  the  Sacred  Congregation  of 
the  Propaganda.  The  venerable  Bishop,  now  almost 
seventy  years  old,  commenced  immediately  his  prepara- 
tions for  joining  his  flock,  whom  he  loved,  though 
he  had  never  seen ;  little  knowing  how  poor  and  unpro- 
vided his  new  diocese  was,  and  not  anticipating  the  se- 
vere trials  which  his  generous  efforts  might  bring  upon 
him.  He  provided  himself  with  sacred  vessels,  vest- 
ments, and  many  other  valuable  presents  for  the  new 
diocese.  He  was  also  commissioned  by  the  Holy  See  to 
carry  the  Pallium  to  Archbishop  Carroll.  He  went  first 
to  Leghorn,  in  hopes  of  securing  a  passage  for  the 
United  States,  but  being  disappointed  there,  he  returned 
to  Rome.  The  disturbed  condition  of  Italy  at  that  time 
rendered  his  departure  both  difficult  and  Dangerous ;  for 
Napoleon  was  then  upsetting  the  established  order  of 


Right  Rev.  Luke  Concanen,  D.D.  143 

things  in  that  as  well  as  in  other  countries.  At  length 
hearing  of  a  vessel  being  about  to  leave  Naples  for 
America,  he  repaired  to  that  city  and  secured  and  paid 
for  his  passage.  But  the  government,  informed  of  his 
arrival  and  intention,  arrested  him  as  a  prisoner,  and  or 
dered  him,  under  the  severest  penalties,  not  to  embark 
in  any  vessel.  Their  pretext  for  so  doing  was,  that  Dr. 
Concanen  was  a  British  subject.  The  confinement,  hard- 
ships, and  disappointments  to  which  this  good  Bishop 
was  subjected  in  his  efforts  to  go  to  his  flock,  and  dedi- 
cate the  remainder  of  his  days  to  them  and  to  God, 
caused  him  to  fall  seriously  ill.  In  a  few  days  he  de- 
parted this  life,  at  the  great  Convent  of  St.  Dominic,  at 
Naples,  June  19,  1810.  So  sudden  was  his  death,  that 
suspicions  were  entertained  that  he  had  been  poisoned, 
either  by  the  unscrupulous  officials  or  emissaries  of  the 
government,  or  by  persons  who  had  designs  upon  the 
gold  vessels  and  other  valuables  destined  for  the  diocese 
of  New  York.  His  funeral  obsequies  were  performed  in 
the  same  cpnvent  by  his  brethren,  amongst  whom  he  was 
honored  and  admired  exceedingly  during  his  life,  and  by 
whom  he  has  been  ever  since  venerated  and  affection- 
ately remembered. 

By  his  will,  made,  as  is  supposed,  before  his  consecra- 
tion, he  bequeathed  his  valuable  library,  and  a  large 
legacy  in  money,  to  the  Dominican  Convent  of  St.  Rose, 
in  Kentucky.  The  Holy  Pontiff,  Pius  VII.,  himself  a 
prisoner  of  Napoleon,  was  deeply  affected  by  the  death 
of  his  friend,  as  well  as  by  the  bereavement  which  the 
young  diocese  of  New  York,  recently  created  by  him- 
self, sustained  in  the  loss  of  its  first  Bishop. 


RIGHT  REV.  BENEDICT  JOSEPH  PLACET,  D.D 

First  Bishop  of  Bardsttntm  and  of  Louisville,  A.D.  1810.* 

OF  that  noble  army  of  Catholic  missionaries  whom 
the  troubles  of  Europe,  towards  the  close  of  the  last  cen- 
tury, exiled  from  their  country,  to  go  forth  and  subdue 
other  nations  to  the  sweet  yoke  of  the  Cross,  there  were 
few  more  zealous  or  more  distinguished  than  the  subject 
of  this  memoir,  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  the  first 
bishop  of  Louisville.  He  was  born  November  7,  1763, 
in  the  town  of  Contournat,  in  the  commune  of  St.  Julien, 
not  far  from  Billom  in  Auvergne,  France.  His  parents 
pursued  the  honest  calling  of  cultivators  of  the  soil,  and 
were  highly  respected  for  their  unpretending  worth,  for 
their  sincerity,  and  earnest  piety.  Their  youngest  son 
was  called  Benedict,  because  some  one  at  his  birth  ex- 
claimed that  "  he  was  a  son  of  benediction"  His  eldest 
brother  was  parish  priest  at  Billom,  and  died  at  the  age 
of  eighty-four  ;  his  other  brother  was  a  notary  public,  and 
died  in  his  eighty-eighth  year,  possessed  of  great  wealth, 
accumulated  by  his  own  industry.  The  father  having 
died  before  the  birth  of  the  youngest  child,  and  the 
mother  two  years  after  that  event,  Benedict  was  reared 
and  educated  by  a  pious  and  devoted  aunt,  who  was  to 
him  all  a  mother  could  be,  and  towards  whom  he  cher- 
ished through  life  a  most  lively  gratitude.  He  made  his 

*  Authorities:  Sketches  of  the  Life,  Times,  and  Character  of  the  Rt.  Rev.  Benedict 
Joseph  Flaget,  First  Bishop  of  Louisville,  by  M.  J.  Spalding,  D.D.,  Bishop  of 
Louisv  iile  ;  Sketches  of  Kentucky,  by  the  Same,  &c. ,  &c. 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  D.D.       145 

classical  studies  at  the  College  of  Billom,  where  he  en- 
tered at  a  tender  age,  and  it  is  said  that,  when  a  mere 
child,  he  had  a  foresight  into  his  future  mission,  often  ex- 
claiming that  "  he  would  go  far,  very  far  from  home,  and 
that  they  would  see  him  no  more."  Feeling  from  his 
earliest  youth  an  inward  call  to  the  sacred  ministry,  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  he  entered,  with  this  view,  the  Uni- 
versity of  Clermont,  where  he  made  his  course  of  philo- 
sophy and  attended  the  class  of  theology  for  two  years, 
during  which  time  he  lived  with  two  young  men  of 
wealth,  whose  tutor  he  became  in  consideration  of  their 
defraying  his  expenses.  During  this  period  he  also  re- 
ceived the  sacrament  of  confirmation  from  the  hands  of 
Mgr.  de  Bonald,  Bishop  of  Clermont,  taking  the  name 
of  Joseph.  On  the  ist  of  November,  1783,  he  joined  the 
congregation  of  Sulpicians,  and  entered  the  Seminary  at 
Clermont  to  pursue  his  ecclesiastical  studies.  Having  in 
two  years  completed  the  course  of  studies  adopted  at 
Clermont,  and  being  still  under  the  canonical  age  for  re- 
ceiving holy  orders,  he  was  sent  to  Issy,  near  Paris,  to 
prepare  for  his  ordination,  where,  at  the  end  of  three 
years,  he  was  elevated  to  the  priesthood.  The  Rev.  Ga- 
briel Richard,  afterwards  well  known  as  a  zealous  mis- 
sionary in  America,  was  at  this  time  superior  at  Issy. 
After  his  ordination  the  Abb6  Flaget  was  made  Professor 
of  Dogmatic  Theology  in  the  Seminary  at  Nantes,  and 
after  two  years  was  appointed  Professor  of  Moral  Theol- 
ogy. He  had  occupied  the  latter  chair  only  a  few 
months  when  the  terrors  of  the  French  Revolution  broke 
out,  and,  like  most  of  the  clergy,  he  was  compelled,  in 
1791,  to  seek  safety  in  the  bosom  of  his  own  family  at 
Billom. 

Living  in  the  midst  of  desecrated  altars,  pillaged  con 
10 


146  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

vents,  and  the  massacre  of  priests,  the  good  Abb6,  in  his 
retirement  at  Billom,  earnestly  prayed  for  light  and  grace 
to  discover  the  proper  course  for  him  to  pursue  under 
those  trying  circumstances.  America  at  this  time  ap- 
peared to  him  jn  the  attitude  of  a  suppliant,  imploring 
Europe  for  laborers  to  work  in  the  vineyard  of  our  Lord. 
Having  consulted  M.  Emery,  his  superior,  and  made  a 
spiritual  retreat,  he  resolved  to  obey  that  call,  and  in 
January,  1792,  sailed  from  Bordeaux  in  company  with 
Rev.  Messrs.  Chicoisneau,  David,  and  Badin.  They  ar- 
rived at  Philadelphia  on  the  26th,  and  at  Baltimore  on 
the  29th  of  March,  and  were  welcomed  at  the  latter  place 
by  Bishop  Carroll  with  the  utmost  cordiality  ,and  joy. 
Tendering  his  services  in  the  most  unreserved  manner  to 
the  Bishop,  he  was  appointed  to  the  distant  mission  of 
Vincennes,  whither  he  departed  after  a  stay  of  two 
months  in  Baltimore,  his  conveyance  being  a  wagon 
then  starting  for  the  West.  Bearing  letters  of  introduc- 
tion from  Bishop  Carroll  to  General  Wayne,  he  was  re- 
ceived and  entertained  by  that  gallant  soldier  with  the 
greatest  friendship  and  consideration.  Detained  at  Pitts- 
burg  for  nearly  six  months  by  the  low  state  of  the  Ohio 
river,  he  spent  that  time  in  the  most  active  and  zealous 
missionary  labors.  During  the  raging  of  the  small-pox 
there,  he  utterly  lost  sight  of  himself  in  his  devoted  atten- 
tion to  the  afflicted  and  diseased.  At  Pittsburg  four 
soldiers  were  condemned  to  death  for  desertion ;  two 
of  them  were  Catholics,  one  a  Protestant,  and  the 
other  a  French  infidel.  The  Abbe  Flaget  converted  the 
Protestant,  .brought  the  two  Catholics  back  into  the 
Church,  and  then  prepared  them  for  death,  which  they 
met  heroically.  But  the  Frenchman  was  so  hardened 
that  he  could  not  be  moved,  and  so  poignant  was  his 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  D.D.       147 

grief  at  the  thought  of  so  unholy  a  death  to  be  endured 
by  one  of  his  countrymen,  that  General  Wayne  pardoned 
the  Frenchman  through  consideration  for  the  good  Abb£. 
Taking  his  departure  from  Pittsburg  in  November  in  a 
flat-boat,  he  stopped  at  Cincinnati,  then  only  a  fort,  and 
at  Louisville,  then  containing  only  three  or  four  small 
cabins,  meeting  at  the  latter  place  his  old  friend  and  su- 
perior of  Issy,  Mr.  Richard,  and  Mr.  Levadoux.  At 
Louisville  his  host  was  an  old  Frenchman,  living  on  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  acres,  in  the  centre  of  the  present 
city,  who  was  so  charmed  with  the  society  of  M.  Flaget, 
that  he  offered  to  leave  him  all  he  possessed  if  he  would 
only  live  with  him.  The  good  priest,  of  course,  declined 
this  offer,  answering  that  he  must  go  forward  on  his 
Master's  business.  General  Wayne  having  commended 
M.  Flaget  to  the  kind  offices  of  Colonel  George  Rogers 
Clark,  then  in  command  of  the  garrison  of  Corn  Island, 
near  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio,  Col.  Clark  welcomed  the 
missionary  most  cordially,  and,  having  fitted  up  and 
armed  a  bateau,  escorted  him  in  person  to  Vincennes, 
where  they  arrived  December  21,  1/92.  On  his  arrival 
he  found  both  church  and  people  in  a  most  neglected 
and  unhappy  condition.  Though  settled  originally  by 
French  Catholics,  Vincennes  had  been  so  long  without 
the  aid  of  priests,  sacrifice,  and  sacraments,  that  religion 
became  almost  wholly  extinguished,  and  the  whites 
themselves  had  begun  to  adopt  the  wandering  and 
savage  life  of  the  Indians.  There  were  only  twelve 
communicants  at  the  Christmas  succeeding  his  arrival. 
It  is  difficult  at  this  day  to  realize  the  hardships  and 
dangers  encountered  in  that  rude  country  by  this  holy 
missionary  priest,  yet  more  wonderful  than  these  were 
the  zeal  and  perseverance  with  which  he  overcame  all 


148  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

things.  He  labored  incessantly,  and  with  great  success, 
for  the  regeneration  of  both  the  whites  and  the  red  men, 
and  tendered  his  services  to  Bishop  Carroll  to  go  as  a 
missionary  among  the  warlike  and  savage  tribes  roving 
over  the  boundless  prairies  of  the  West.  The  following 
language,  written  from  Vincennes,  will  convey  some  idea 
of  the  Abb6  Flaget's  goodness  and  apostolic  zeal :  "  He 
had  stripped  himself  of  all  the  linen  he  had  brought  with 
him  to  Vincennes  in  favor  of  the  sick  and  indigent.  The 
tender  care  with  which  he  visited  the  sick  will  never  be 
forgotten,  and  the  impression  it  made  upon  the  popula- 
tion will  last  as  long  as  there  shall  be  an  old  man  left  to 
relate  to  his  children's  children  the  history  of  old  times." 
After  about  two  years  and  a  half  of  the  most  zealous  and 
untiring  missionary  labors,  he  was  recalled  from  Vincen- 
nes by  his  superiors  in  April,  1795,  when,  after  passing 
down  the  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans,  he  took  passage 
in  the  first  vessel  bound  northward,  and  arrived  at  Balti- 
more in  the  autumn  of  that  year. 

Upon  his  return  to  Maryland,  the  Abb6  Flaget  was 
stationed  at  Georgetown  College,  where  he  remained 
three  years  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  chief  dis- 
ciplinarian and  teacher  of  French  and  geography.  While 
at  the  college  he  formed  the  acquaintance  of  General 
Washington,  then  President  of  the  United  States.  He 
went  with  the  faculty  of  the  college  to  pay  his  respects 
to  the  father  of  his  country,  who  promptly  and  cordially 
returned  the  visit  at  the  college.  The  Abbe  Flaget  was 
an  ardent  admirer  of  that  illustrious  man,  and  fifty  years 
after  Washington's  death  he  used  to  refer  to  him  in 
language  of  unbounded  praise.  In  November,  1798,  he 
went  to  Havana,  Cuba,  to  aid  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Dubourg 
and  Brabant  in  the  proposed  erection  in  that  island  of  a 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  D.D.       149 

college  of  the  Sulpician  Order,  a  project,  however,  which, 
was  defeated  by  unforeseen  difficulties.  A  severe  attack 
of  illness  prevented  his  return  to  the  United  States  with 
his  companions,  and  he  remained  some  time  in  Cuba, 
discharging  the  duties  of  tutor  to  the  son  of  Don  Nicholas 
Calvo,  a  wealthy  Spanish  resident.  During  his  stay  in 
Cuba  he  became  acquainted  with  Louis  Philippe  and 
his  two  brothers,  and  was  selected  by  the  citizens  of  Ha- 
vana to  present  to  the  exiled  princes  a  large  sum  of 
money,  which  had  been  subscribed  for  their  relief.  In 
the  fall  of  1801  he  returned  to  the  United  States,  accom- 
panied by  the  young  Calvo  and  twenty-two  other  Cuban 
youths,  to  be  entered  as  students  at  St.  Mary's  College, 
Baltimore.  During  the  following  eight  years  of  his  life 
he  remained  at  St.  Mary's  College  in  the  modest  per- 
formance of  his  duties  in  the  institution,  in  prayer  and 
study,  and  in  the  exercise  of  the  holy  ministry.  The 
performance  of  every  duty  of  Christian  charity  and  the 
most  zealous  and  untiring  attendance  on  the  sick  and 
the  afflicted,  permitted  not  the  sacrifice  of  a  moment  of 
his  time.  It  was  during  this  period,  about  the  year 
1804,  when  the  Trappists  arrived  in  Baltimore,  that  he 
petitioned  Father  Urban  Guillet,  the  superior,  for  admis- 
sion into  that  rigid  Order,  but  some  delay  having  occurred 
in  the  execution  of  this  purpose,  it  was  finally  defeated 
by  the  development  of  another  destiny  for  which  Provi- 
dence reserved  him. 

The  Catholics  of  the  United  States  had  so  vastly  in- 
creased in  numbers,  and  the  extent  of  ecclesiastical  juris- 
diction of  the  country  was  so  far  beyond  the  power  of  a 
single  bishop  to  wield,  that  Bishop  Carroll,  in  1807, 
petitioned  Rome  for  the  erection  of  four  new  sees,  to  be 
located  at  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Bards- 


150  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

,town,  Kentucky.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Badin  having  suggested 
to  Bishop  Carroll  the  name  of  M.  Flaget,  who  had 
already  labored  so  zealously  and  successfully  in  the 
Western  missions,  as  a  suitable  candidate  for  the  new 
see  of  Bardstown,  the  Bishop  at  once  adopted  the  sug- 
gestion, and  on  the  I7th  of  June,  1807,  wrote  to  the 
Cardinal  Prefect  of  the  Propaganda,  recommending  in 
the  most  complimentary  terms  that  the  appointment 
should  be  made  accordingly.  The  Holy  See  ratified 
this  nomination,  and  appointed  M.  Flaget  to  the  see  of 
Bardstown,  whose  jurisdiction  extended  over  the  vast 
diocese  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  lakes,  on  the  south 
by  the  thirty-fifth  degree  of  north  latitude,  and  extending 
from  the  Atlantic  States  on  the  east,  to  the  Mississippi 
River  on  the  west.  The  arrival  of  the  Papal  Bulls  in 
September,  1808,  was  the  first  information  the  Bishop 
elect  had  of  his  appointment ;  he  received  the  news  with 
the  utmost  surprise  and  consternation.  Having  made  an 
ineffectual  effort  with  Archbishop  Carroll  to  be  released 
from  this  appointment,  which  his  humility  and  diffidence 
in  himself  alone  caused  him  to  shun,  he  went  to  Europe 
for  the  same  purpose,  but  with  no  better  success.  He 
was  accompanied  from  Europe  by  Rev.  M.  Brut£,  M< 
Chabrat,  subdeacon,  and  Messrs.  Deydier,  Derigaud, 
Romeuf,  and  a  young  deacon,  who  afterwards  joined  the 
Jesuits  at  Georgetown.  On  the  4th  of  November,  1810, 
Bishop  Flaget  was  consecrated  in  the  Metropolitan 
Church  at  Baltimore,  by  Archbishop  Carroll,  assisted  by 
the  Right  Rev.  Drs.  Cheverus  and  Egan,  bishops  of  the 
new  sees  of  Boston  and  Philadelphia.  So  truly  apos- 
tolical was  the  poverty  in  which  M.  Flaget  had  lived, 
that  at  his  elevation  he  had  not  the  means  necessary  to 
convey  him  to  his  diocese.  In  his  own  distress  he  nobly 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  D.D.       151 

refused  the  offer  of  a  subscription  for  his  relief  among 
his  future  flock,  who  were  mostly  poor  settlers  in  the 
West,  saying  that  he  would  rather  walk  to  Kentucky  than 
commence  his  episcopal  career  by  thus  taxing  his  people. 
Some  generous  friends  in  Baltimore  having  raised  the 
requisite  sum  for  his  travelling  expenses,  the  Bishop  and 
his  suite  departed  for  the  West,  May  1 1,  181 1,  and  arrived 
at  Louisville  on  the  4th  of  June.  The  arrival  of  a  Bishop 
in  the  West  was  an  event  which  the  people  had  never 
realized,  and  they  accordingly  turned  out  with  great 
enthusiasm  to  give  the  new  Prelate  a  welcome  which 
was  truly  magnificent.  He  arrived  at  Bardstown  on  the 
9th  of  June.  On  entering  his  episcopal  city,  Bishop 
Flaget  devoted  himself,  to  use  his  own  language,  "to  all 
the  guardian  angels  who  reside  therein,  and  I  prayed  to 
God,  with  all  my  heart,  to  make  me  die  a  thousand 
deaths  should  I  not  become  an  instrument  of  His  glory 
in  this  new  diocese."  Arriving  at  St.  Stephen's,  the  resi- 
dence of  Father  Badin,  the  ceremony  of  installation  was 
performed  with  all  the  usual  rites  of  the  Roman  Pontifical. 
The  clerical  force  of  the  diocese,  at  the  time  of  Bishop 
Flaget's  arrival,  consisted  of  three  missionary  priests, 
Fathers  Nerinckx,  Badin,  and  O'Flynn,  and  four  Domini- 
cans, established  at  their  convent  at  St.  Rose.  On  the 
Christmas  following  his  arrival,  the  Bishop  had  the  satis- 
faction of  adding  to  their  number  by  elevating  to  the 
priesthood  the  Rev.  Mr.  Chabrat,  who  was  the  first 
priest  ordained  in  the  West.  In  the  entire  State  of  Ken- 
tucky, at  that  time,  there  were  not  more  than  one  thou- 
sand Catholic  families,  numbering  in  the  aggregate 
about  six  thousand  souls.  There  were  thirty  congrega- 
tions, ten  churches,  or  rather  chapels,  and  six  more  in 
course  of  erection.  The  Bishop  took  up  his  residence 


152  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

with  Father  Badin,  at  St.  Stephen's,  now  Loretto,  and 
his  episcopal  palace  was  a  log  cabin,  sixteen  feet  square. 
It  was  with  a  sad  and  heavy  heart  that  the  first  Bishop 
of  the  West  entered  upon  that  vast  field  of  labor  and  so- 
licitude ;  yet  he  was  at  every  moment  sustained  by  a 
firm  and  exhaustless  reliance  and  trust  in  God.  He  at 
once  addressed  himself  to  the  work  of  arranging  and 
establishing  the  discipline  of  his  diocese.  He  was  at  the 
beginning  of  his  episcopal  career  much  embarrassed  by 
the  contemplated  departure  for  Europe  of  so  invaluable 
an  assistant  as  Father  Nerinckx,  by  the  want  of  a  church 
and  residence  for  himself,  by  the  difficulties  which  arose 
in  relation  to  the  settlement  of  the  question  of  church 
property  in  Kentucky,  and  the  general  pressing  demand 
for  churches  and  priests  to  meet  the  necessities  of  re- 
ligion. But  the  energy  and  zeal  of  Bishop  Flaget  made 
him  fully  equal  to  the  task  which  the  Holy  See  had  im- 
posed upon  him.  The  Seminary  under  the  charge  of 
Father  David,  at  St.  Stephen's,  became  an  object  of  his 
greatest  care  and  solicitude,  since  it  was  from  that  source 
that  he  looked  for  the  supply  of  priests  to  administer  to 
his  people.  In  1811  the  Seminary  was  removed  to  a 
plantation  granted  for  the  purpose  by  a  zealous  Catholic, 
Mr.  Thomas  Howard,  and  so  great  was  the  ardor  of  the 
young  seminarians,  that  they  made  the  bricks,  cut  the 
timber,  and  prepared  the  other  materials  with  their  own 
hands,  for  the  erection  of  the  Seminary  building.  The 
Bishop  himself  became  the  most  laborious  missionary  in 
t,Jie  West,  being  constantly  engaged  in  the  confessional, 
in  administering  the  sacraments,  visiting  the  sick,  and 
supplying  the  places  of  his  priests  whenever  they  were 
absent  or  unable  to  attend  to  the  labors  of  their  missions. 
The  dignity  of  his  office  never  for  an  instant  withdrew 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  D.D.       153 

his  attention  from  the  humblest  and  smallest  services  to 
his  neighbor  and  the  cause  of  religion,  provided  they 
contributed  to  the  sanctification  of  souls  or  the  glory  of 
God.  The  episcopal  visitations  which  he  so  frequently 
made  throughout  his  diocese  were,  in  fact,  laborious  mis- 
sionary journeys,  always  full  of  consolation  to  his  scat- 
tered flock,  as  well  as  to  himself,  in  the  consciousness  of 
having  served  others.  He  visited  all  the  congregations 
in  Kentucky  twice  before  the  year  1815.  In  1812  he 
was  summoned  to  attend  the  First  Provincial  Council  of 
the  American  Church.  Before  starting  for  Baltimore  he 
convened  his  clergy  to  confer  with  him  on  the  religious 
interests  and  wants  of  his  diocese  ;  he  also  ordered  public 
prayers  to  be  said  on  the  occurrence  of  the  war,  which 
had  just  broken  out  between  this  country  and  Great 
Britain,  to  propitiate  God's  mercy  and  to  secure  a  speedy 
and  honorable  peace ;  and  on  the  Qth  of  September  he 
started  for  the  East  on  horseback,  accompanied  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Chabrat  for  a  portion  of  the  way,  and  by  Fa- 
ther Badin  for  the  whole  journey.  Performing,  as  was 
his  custom  whenever  traveling,  arduous  missionary  la- 
bors on  the  route,  he  arrived  at  Emmitsburg  on  the  last 
day  of  October.  For  some  reason  not  stated  in  the 
Bishop's  journal,  the  proposed  council  was  not  held.  In 
the  spring  of  1813  he  returned  to  resume  at  once  the  la- 
bors of  his  office  with  his  usual  zeal  and  activity. 

In  1812  the  Catholics  of  Vincennes,  with  whom  General 
Harrison,  then  Governor  of  the  Northwestern  Territory, 
cordially  united  by  signing  his  name  to  the  petition,  sent 
their  petition  to  Bishop  Flaget  for  a  permanent  pastor. 
The  scarcity  of  priests  would  not  permit  the  gratification 
of  their  desires  at  that  time;  but  in  1814  the  bishop 
visited  in  person  the  scene  of  his  first  mission  in  America, 


154  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

and  was  received  by  the  people  with  great  respect  and 
unaffected  joy.  He  administered  the  sacrament  of  con- 
firmation, and  after  a  stay  of  two  weeks  at  Vincennes, 
which  he  employed  in  preaching,  instructing  the  young, 
and  reforming  abuses,  he  returned  to  his  see,  his  whole 
journey  being  one  continual  triumphal  march,  such  was 
the  desire  of  all  the  people  to  honor  so  pure  and  holy  a 
servant  of  God.  The  Bishop,  during  this  missionary  trip, 
administered  the  sacrament  of  confirmation  to  one  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  seventy-five  persons,  from  which 
fact  alone  some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  amount  of  his 
labors  and  of  the  abundance  of  fruits  he  gathered  from 
them.  In  1815  the  Bishop  lost  the  invaluable  services 
of  that  holy  and  zealous  missionary,  the  Rev.  Charles 
Nerinckx,  who  then  left  for  Europe,  and  during  his  ab- 
sence the  Bishop  took  upon  himself  the  additional  duty 
of  attending  to  most  of  the  missions  thus  deprived  of 
their  pastor.  About  this  time  he  conducted  a  public  dis- 
cussion with  a  sectarian  preacher  on  the  principal  doc- 
trines of  the  Church,  in  which  he  displayed  great  learning 
and  cogency  of  reasoning,  together  with  the  most  beauti- 
ful exercise  of  Christian  charity  and  forbearance  ;  and  he 
received  by  unanimous  acclaim  the  palm  of  victory  from 
an  audience  composed  almost  entirely  of  Protestants. 

In  1815  the  question  of  translating  Bishop  Flaget  from 
the  see  of  Bardstown  to  the  new  see  which  it  was  then 
in  contemplation  to  erect  at  St.  Louis  was  mooted.  Car- 
dinal Litta,  Prefect  of  the  Propaganda,  in  his  letter  to 
Archbishop  Carroll,  of  the  23d  of  December,  1815,  thus 
writes  of  Bishop  Flaget :  "  But  as  in  Upper  Louisiana, 
the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Flaget,  Bishop  of  Bardstown,  is  in 
great  fame  of  sanctity,  and  as  he  is  most  suited  for  the 
conversion  of  the  savages  who  live  in  the  middle  of  the 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget t  D.D.       155 

province  of  Louisiana,  it  has  seemed  very  expedient  to 
the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Dubourg  that  he  should  be  transfer- 
red to  a  new  see  to  be  erected  therein."  But  Dr.  Du- 
bourg, who  had  been  appointed  Bishop  of  New  Orleans, 
finding  it  not  convenient  or  agreeable  then  to  reside  in 
New  Orleans,  he  selected  St.  Louis  for  his  episcopal  city, 
and  the  project  of  erecting  a  see  at  the  latter  place  was 
consequently  abandoned.  Bishop  Dubourg  was  now 
about  to  return  from  France,  accompanied  by  a  con- 
siderable number  of  ecclesiastics,  whom  he  had  enlisted 
in  Europe  for  the  missions  of  Louisiana.  In  the  spirit  of 
true  Catholic  zeal  and  charity,  as  well  as  of  sincere  per- 
sonal friendship  for  Bishop  Dubourg,  Bishop  Flaget, 
accompanied  by  Rev.  Messrs.  Andreis  and  Rosati,  a  lay 
brother  and  a  guide,  made  a  journey  in  October,  1817, 
on  horseback  to  St.  Louis,  and  in  a  country  which  could 
not  present  anything  better  than  buffalo-skins  for  beds 
fo  these  distinguished  visitors,  succeeded  in  raising  the 
LurA  of  three  thousand  dollars,  to  defray  the  traveling  and 
equipment  expenses  of  Dr.  Dubourg  and  suite.  In  De- 
cember of  the  same  year,  Bishop  Flaget  made  another 
journey  to  St.  Louis,  to  assist  at  the  installation  of 
Bishop  Dubourg  in  his  episcopal  see.  During  these 
journeys  Bishop  Flaget,  as  he  did  on  all  other  occasions, 
lost  no  opportunity  of  conveying  the  consolations  of  re- 
ligion to  the  people  living  in  the  cities,  towns,  and  ham- 
lets on  the  route.  Having  obtained  from  Bishop  Du- 
bourg two  missionaries  for  Indiana  and  Michigan,  Bishop 
Flaget  was  more  at  leisure  to  give  his  attention  to  the 
distant  French  and  Indian  missions  lying  about  the  great 
lakes.  He  accordingly  lost  no  time  in  making  a  visit  to 
those  remote  regions.  The  following  extract  from  the 
Annals  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith  for  September, 


156  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

1850,  contains  a  succinct  account  of  this  journey  of  the 
Bishop  to  Detroit,  one  of  the  most  truly  apostolic  jour- 
neys ever  performed  on  this  continent :  "  Following  the 
traces  of  this  journey  of  seven  hundred  leagues,  one 
would  say  that  wherever  Bishop  Flaget  pitched  his  tent 
he  there  laid  the  foundations  of  a  new  church,  and  that 
each  one  of  his  principal  halts  was  destined  to  become  a 
bishopric.  There  is  Vincennes,  in  Indiana;  there  is 
Detroit,  in  Michigan ;  there  is  Cincinnati,  the  principal 
city  of  Ohio ;  there  are  Erie  and  Buffalo,  on  the  borders 
of  the  lakes ;  there  is  Pittsburg,  which  he  evangelized  in 
returning  to  Louisville,  after  thirteen  months'  absence- 
after  having  given  missions  wherever  on  his  route  there 
was  a  colony  of  whites,  a  plantation  of  slaves,  or  a  village 
of  Indians."  In  Detroit  the  Bishop  was  very  kindly  re- 
ceived and  entertained  by  General  Cass,  then  Governor, 
to  whose  noble  hospitality  often  since  have  pious  Catho- 
lic missionary  priests  paid  the  tribute  of  their  grateful  re- 
membrance. 

The  extent  of  his  diocese,  and  his  frequent  absences 
on  long  and  distant  journeys,  rendered  the  assistance  of  a 
coadjutor  Bishop  indispensable.  Having  applied  to  Rome 
for  this  favor,  on  the  25th  of  November,  1817,  the  Bulls 
arrived,  appointing  Father  David  Bishop'of  Mauricastro 
in  Partibus  and  coadjutor  to  the  Bishop  of  Bardstown. 
His  church  at  Bardstown  being  now  completed,  Bishop 
Flaget  and  his  coadjutor  removed  from  the  Seminary  of 
St.  Thomas  to  Bardstown  August  7,  1819;  on  the  8th  the 
new  cathedral  was  consecrated,  and  one  week  later,  on 
the  Feast  of  the  Assumption,  Bishop  David  was  conse- 
crated by  Bishop  Flaget.  On  the  2ist  of  September,  St. 
Thomas'  Seminary  was  removed-  to  Bardstown,  and  the 
Bishop  once  more  enjoyed  the  happiness  of  living  in  the 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  D.D.       157 

midst  of  his  beloved  seminarians,  always  taking  a  pecu- 
liar pleasure  in  their  society,  and  making  it  his  custom  to 
be  surrounded  by  them,  all  dressed  in  surplices,  when- 
ever he  celebrated  high  mass  on  Sundays  or  holidays. 
On  the  1 3th  of  January,  1822,  he  consecrated  at  St. 
Rose,  Dr.  Fenwick,  the  new  Bishop  of  Cincinnati.  Epis- 
copal visitations  to  Vincennes  in  1819,  and  again  in  1823, 
and  to  Tennessee  in  1821,  full  of  edifying  and  interesting 
incidents,  were  the  principal  occurrences  of  those  years. 
During  this  period  he  was  also  engaged  in  lengthy  and 
highly  important  correspondence  with  the  American 
Bishops,  and  with  Rome,  on  the  subject  of  creating  new 
episcopal  sees,  and  touching  the  general  interests  of  re- 
ligion in  America.  The  plan  of  erecting  an  Archiepisco- 
pal  see  in  the  west  was  originated  in  the  correspondence 
held  about  this  time  between  Bishops  Flaget  and  Du- 
bourg.  Having  under  his  spiritual  jurisdiction  so  large 
a  portion  of  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  no  bishop 
in  the  American  Hierarchy  wielded  more  influence  or  was 
more  active  in  the  general  affairs  of  the  Church  in  this 
country.  Though  constantly  pressed  with  the  vast 
amount  of  labor  which  claimed  his  attention  in  his  own 
diocese,  he  always  found  time  to  take  a  leading  part  in 
religious  matters  beyond  its  limits.  He  also  had  a  cor- 
respondence with  Rome  in  relation  to  the  Hogan  difficul- 
ties in  Philadelphia,  and  was  consulted  by  the  Propagan- 
da in  regard  to  the  controversy  for  some  time  existing 
between  the  Sulpicians  of  Canada  and  the  Bishop  of 
Quebec. 

The  Jubilee,  of  1825,  '26,  and  '27,  presented  an  occa- 
sion which  called  forth  the  full  exertion  of  Bishop  Flaget's 
apostolic  zeal.  It  was  the  first  celebration  of  the  jubilee 
in  the  West.  Besides  the  regular  exercises  of  religion  in 


158  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

the  churches,  which  were  arranged  by  the  Bishop  upon 
a  most  imposing  and  edifying  plan,  this  holy  season 
was  particularly  distinguished  by  learned  and  eloquent 
expositions  and  defences  of  the  doctrines  and  practices 
of  the  Church,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  and  fruitful 
oral  discussions  ever  conducted  in  this  country.  It  was 
in  those  discussions  that  the  Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick 
Kenrick,  then  a  priest,  opened  his  bright  career  as  an 
illustrious  champion  of  the  faith.  The  religious  fruits  of 
the  jubilee  were  exceedingly  great.  Among  many  other 
gratifying  results,  there  were  one  thousand  two  hundred 
and  sixteen  persons  confirmed,  and  the  number  of  com- 
municants was  innumerable.  In  January,  1828,  the 
Bishop  repaired,  by  invitation,  to  Baltimore,  to  conse- 
crate Archbishop  Whitfield,  whose  consecration  was  per- 
formed on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  in  the  cathedral.  In 
June,  1829,  he  made  his  fifth  visitation  of  Indiana,  no  less 
laborious  and  edifying  than  previous  ones ;  and  in  Septem- 
ber of  the  same  year  he  went  to  Baltimore  to  attend  the 
First  Provincial  Council.  At  the  Council,  on  being  intro- 
duced for  the  first  time  to  the  late  illustrious  Bishop  of 
Charleston,  Dr.  England,  Bishop  Flaget  exclaimed,  "  Al 
low  me  to  kiss  the  hand  that  has  written  so  many  fine 
things  ! "  Bishop  England  promptly  replied,  "  Permit  me 
to  kiss  the  hands  which  have  done  so  much  good."  On 
the  6th  of  June,  1830,  at  Bardstown,  Bishop  Flaget  conse- 
crated Dr.  Kenrick  as  coadjutor  Bishop  of  Philadelphia, 
assisted  by  Bishops  David,  England,  and  Fenwick.  Feel- 
ing his  health  declining,  and  never  having  overcome  the 
scruples  which  his  diffidence  in  himself  constantly  caused 
him  to  experience,  he  sent  his  resignation  to  Rome,  which, 
based  as  it  was  on  the  plea  of  his  declining  health,  was 
accepted,  and  Bishop  David  appointed  his  successor ; 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  D.D.       159 

but  so  great  was  the  opposition  to  these  transactions, 
coming-  from  both  the  clergy  and  laity  of  the  West,  that 
he  v/as  compelled  to  submit  to  a  reversal  of  all  that  had 
been  done,  and  was  again  left  Bishop  of  Bardstown,  but 
now  without  a  coadjutor,  which  condition  of  things  con- 
tinued more  than  a  year.  In  the  awful  and  destructive 
visitation  of  the  cholera  which  devastated  the  West  in 
1833,  Bishop  Flaget  displayed  the  most  heroic  zeal  and 
chanty,  administering  like  an  angel  of  love  to  the  af- 
flicted of  all  classes,  forgetting  himself  until  he  had 
almost  fallen  a  victim  to  the  pestilence,  and  ready  to 
meet  death  in  such  a  cause  with  a  smile  of  welcome. 
On  the  1 3th  of  October,  1833,  he  consecrated  the  Right 
Rev.  Dr.  Purcell  as  Bishop  of  Cincinnati,  and  having  re- 
ceived on  the  29th  of  June,  1834,  the  Bulls  appointing 
Dr.  Chabrat  his  second  coadjutor,  he  consecrated  that 
Prelate  on  the  2Oth  of  July,  assisted  by  Bishop  David  and 
Rev.  Dr.  Miles.  Having  repaired  to  St.  Louis  to  conse 
crate  the  new  cathedral,  Bishop  Flaget,  on  the  28th  of 
October,  consecrated  therein  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Brute, 
who  had  just  been  appointed  Bishop  of  Vincennes. 
During  these  years  of  arduous  labor  and  incessant  tra- 
veling throughout  his  vast  diocese,  many  great  and  good 
works  were  accomplished  in  particular  localities,  but  ex- 
erting a  happy  influence  over  the  entire  diocese.  In  the 
language  of  his  biographer:  "  Thus  we  have  seen  four 
colleges,  two  of  which  yet  remain  ;  three  religious  sister- 
hoods, conducting  a  large  female  orphan  asylum  ;  an  in- 
firmary, and  eleven  flourishing  academies  for  girls  ;  a 
brotherhood,  and  two  religious  orders  of  men,  devoting 
themselves  to  education  and  the  missions ;  all  growing 
up  and  prospering  under  the  encouraging  auspices  of 
Bishop  Flaget." 


160  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

It  is  required  by  the  Church  of  all  bishops  who  are 
consecrated  to  preside  over  dioceses  beyond  the  limits 
of  Europe,  to  make  a  solemn  engagement  at  their  con- 
secration, to  repair  to  Rome,  either  in  person  or  by  suit- 
able proxy,  once  in  every  tqn  years,  in  order  to  render 
to  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  an  account  of  their  administra- 
tions. Bishop  Flaget  had  long  desired  to  make  in  per- 
son this  pilgrimage  to  the  Eternal  City,  as  well  to 
comply  with  his  obligation  of  rendering  fealty  to  the 
successor  of  St.  Peter,  as  to  visit  en  route  his  native 
France,  and  to  commune  with  his  relatives  and  friends. 
The  constant  labors  and  engrossing  cares  of  his  diocese 
had,  however,  compelled  him  to  remain  at  home  and 
send  a  representative  to  Rome.  Feeling  justified  now 
in  leaving  for  a  time  the  entire  administration  of  his 
diocese  in  the  hands  of  his  zealous  and  able  coadjutor, 
Dr.  Chabrat,  he  concluded  to  visit  Rome  in  person.  He 
departed  for  Europe  in  the  spring  of  1835.  Before  go- 
ing to  Rome  he  spent  one  year  in  France,  whither  the 
fame  of  his  sanctity  and  zeal  had  preceded  him,  and 
caused  him  to  be  received  and  venerated  as  a  saint.  He, 
however,  in  the  midst  of  honors  and  ovations,  never  lost 
sight  of  the  interests  of  his  diocese  and  the  cause  of  re- 
ligion, for  which  objects  he  labored  constantly  during  the 
four  years  he  spent  in  Europe.  He  arrived  at  Rome  in 
the  fall  of  1836,  and  was  at  once  received  by  the  Holy 
Father  with  every  mark  of  respect  and  admiration. 
During  his  stay  in  the  city,  the  cardinals  and  other  dis- 
tinguished personages  there  emulated  each  other  in  ren- 
dering every  attention  and  kindness  to-  the  good  mis- 
sionary Bishop.  The  Pope  made  him  handsome  presents 
for  his  diocese,  and  would  not  consent  to  his  leaving 
Rome  before  the  opening  of  spring.  Leaving  Rome  in 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  D.D.        161 

the  spring  of  1837,  he  visited  many  of  the  countries  of 
Europe,  in  which  he  had  business  to  transact ;  but  having 
been  specially  commissioned  by  the  Pope  to  travel 
through  France  in  aid  of  the  Society  for  the  Propagation 
of  the  Faith,  he  speedily  returned  to  that  country,  where  he 
labored  with  wonderful  and  happy  success  for  that  great 
and  holy  cause,  visiting  forty-six  dioceses  in  France  and 
Sardinia.  The  following  notice  of  his  labors  in  this  be- 
half is  from  the  pen  of  the  illustrious  Cardinal  Wiseman, 
in  1839:*  "In  France  the  saintly  American  Bishop 
Flaget  has  been  visiting  several  dioceses  to  preach  in 
favor  of  the  CEuvre  de  la  Propagation  /  and,  though  his 
tour  has  been  limited,  we  have  it  on  authority  that  it  will 
have  had  the  effect  of  raising  the  funds  of  that  beautiful 
institution  from  seven  hundred  thousand  to  upwards  of  a 
million  of  francs.  We  have  also  reason  to  know  that  he  is 
bent  upon  having  such  a  system  as  we  have  suggested, 
of  movable  missionaries,  established  in  America,  as  the 
only  means  of  propagating  the  Catholic  religion  on  a 
great  scale." 

In  the  language  of  his  biographer:  "In  France  it  was 
even  said  and  believed  that  extraordinary,  if  not  mira- 
culous, cures  had  been  effected  by  his  prayers,  and  am- 
ple statements  to  this  effect,  with  certificates  append- 
ed, were  drawn  up  and  circulated."  In  July,  1839, 
Bishop  Flaget,  in  company  with  Bishop  Ptircell  and  Rev. 
Mr.  McGill,  now  Bishop  of  Richmond,  embarked  at 
Havre  for  America,  and  arrived  at  New  York  on  the 
2ist  of  August.  Reaching  Bardstown  in  September, 
the  venerable  Bishop  was  received  by  his  flock  with 
every  demonstration  of  joy  and  filial  affection.  The  first 
congratulations  and  thanksgivings  being  over,  the  zeal- 

*  Etsays  on  Various  Sufy'tfts,  vol.  ii. ,  p.  95 . 
I  I 


1 62  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

ous  Bishop  first  visited  all  his  religious  establishments, 
and  then  made  the  visitation  of  his  entire  diocese,  which 
occupied  two  years.  On  the  I2th  of  July,  1841,  he  had 
the  misfortune  of  losing  his  devoted  friend  and  faithful 
adviser,  Bishop  David,  who  died  as  he  had  lived,  in  great 
sanctity.  In  1841  the  episcopal  chair  of  the  diocese  was 
removed  from  Bardstown  to  Louisville,  where  the  bishop 
was  heartily  welcomed  by  the  citizens  of  all  religions. 
In  1842,  a  body  of  Sisters  of  Charity  of  the  Good  Shep- 
herd arrived  from  France,  and  on  the  4th  of  September, 
1843,  were  installed  in  the  new  and  extensive  establish- 
ment erected  for  them  by  Bishop  Flaget,  entirely  at  his 
own  expense.  Bishop  Chabrat's  health  having  become 
extremely  feeble,  he  was  compelled  to  return  to  Europe, 
and  was  finally,  in  1847,  released  from  the  office  of  coad- 
jutor, and  Bishop  Flaget  was  again  left  without  an  assis- 
tant. In  the  year  1848,  the  Jesuit  Fathers  took  charge 
of  St.  Joseph's  College  and  the  free  school,  and  in  the 
same  year  a  colony  of  forty  monks  of  La  Trappe  arrived 
in  the  diocese  and  took  possession  of  their  new  estab- 
lishment at  Gethsemane,  about  fourteen  miles  from 
Bardstown.  In  1848  a  new  coadjutor,  Dr.  Spalding,  the 
present  Archbishop  of  Baltimore,  was  appointed.  The 
long  and  fatiguing  ceremony  of  consecrating  the  new 
Bishop  was  performed  by  Bishop  Flaget  on  the  loth  of 
September,  but  the  exertion  was  too  great  for  his  ex- 
treme age  and  infirm  health  ;  he  sank  down  exhausted 
by  the  labors  of  the  day,  and  was  never  afterwards  able 
to  discharge  the  public  duties  of  his  episcopacy.  On 
the  1 5th  of  August,  1849,  the  corner-stone  of  the  new 
cathedral  at  Louisville  was  solemnly  laid  in  the  presence 
of  an  immense  multitude,  but  the  venerable  bishop  could 
only  behold  the  spectacle  and  bestow  his  blessing  upon 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  D.D.       163 

the  assembled  faithful  from  the  balcony  of  his  residence. 
After  the  consecration  of  Bishop  Spalding,  Bishop  Fla- 
get  lingered  in  infirm  health  for  two  years,  spending  his 
time  chiefly  in  prayer  and  pious  reading.  For  six  months 
before  his  death  he  was  deprived  of  the  inestimable  priv- 
ilege and  happiness  of  offering  up  the  holy  sacrifice  of 
the  Lamb  of  God.  His  sufferings  were  very  great  dur- 
ing the  last  year  or  more  of  his  earthly  existence,  but  he 
received  and  patiently  bore  those  sufferings  as  actual 
blessings  from  the  hands  of  his  heavenly  Father,  who 
thus  permitted  him  to  suffer  for  Christ.  On  the  nth  of 
February,  1850,  in  the  eighty-seventh  year  of  his  age, 
he  calmly  expired,  surrounded  by  his  clergy,  full  of 
sanctity,  faith,  and  hope,  and  overflowing  with  that  heroic 
charity  which  had  given  an  angelic  character  to  his  long 
and  saintly  career.  His  entire  life  was  one  of  goodness. 
Of  him  it  may  be  truly  said,  that  he  had  no  ends  to  as- 
pire to  besides  the  honor  and  glory  of  his  Creator. 


HIS  EMINENCE  JOHN  LOUIS  DE  CHEVERUS, 

First  Bishop  of  Boston,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Montauban,  and  Cardinal 
Archbishop  of  Bordeaux,  A.D.  1810.* 

JOHN  Louis  ANN  MAGDALEN  LEFEBVRE  DE  CHEVERUS 
was  born  at  Mayenne,  in  Lower  Maine,  France,  January 
28,  in  the  year  1768.  His  father,  John  Vincent  Marie 
Lefebvre  de  Cheverus,  was  the  civil  judge ;  his  uncle, 
Louis  Ren6  de  Cheverus,  was  the  curate,  and  another  uncle 
was  the  mayor,  of  Mayenne ;  thus  uniting  in  one  family 
the  judical,  ecclesiastical,  and  municipal  authority  of  the 
place.  His  mother,  Ann  Lemarchand  des  Noyers,  pos- 
sessed eminent  prudence,  judgment,  and  piety.  She 
took  upon  herself  the  early  education  of  her  son,  and  in- 
stilled into  his  tender  heart  the  most  devout  sentiments 
of  religion  and  morality,  She  constantly  repeated  to  him 
the  sublime  lesson  of  that  model  of  mothers,  Blanche  of 
Castile,  to  that  model  of  sons,  St.  Louis,  King  of  France: 
'  My  son,  God  is  my  witness  how  much  I  love  you  ;  but 
rather  would  I  see  you  dead  before  me,  than  that  you 
should  commit  a  single  mortal  sin."  Remaining  under 
the  paternal  roof,  he  attended  every  day  the  classes  at 
the  College  of  Mayenne,  where  he  was  equally  dis- 
tinguished among  his  companions  for  his  piety,  amiability, 
frankness,  and  application  to  study.  In  time  of  recrea- 
tion he  was  "the  merriest  lad  at  school,"  and  in  time  of 

*  Authorities :  Life  of  Cardinal  de  Cheverus,  by  the  Rev.  J.  Huen  Dubourg, 
translated  from  the  French,  by  R.  M.  Walsh ;  The  U.  S.  Catholic  Magazine  of  1845, 
&c.,  &c. 


His  Eminence  John  Louis  de  Cheverus.         165 

study  he  was  the  best  student.  At  the  age  of  eleven 
years  he  made  his  first  communion  in  the  most  edifying 
and  devout  manner,  and  at  that  early  age  he  formed,  and 
at  once  disclosed  to  his  mother,  his  resolution  of  dedi- 
cating himself  to  Almighty  God  in  the  holy  ministry  of 
the  Church.  This  Christian  mother  cheerfully  made 
the  sacrifice,  and  offered  her  dearest  treasure  to  the 
service  of  religion.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  re- 
ceived the  tonsure  at  Mayenne  from  the  hands  of  the 
Bishop  of  Dol,  and  continued  in  his  daily  life  to  set  the 
example  of  a  truly  Christian  life  for  all  the  population 
of  his  native  city.  Many  distinguished  persons  who 
visited  Mayenne  were  attracted  by  the  beautiful  charac- 
ter and  promising  talents  of  the  youthful  Abb?,  and  made 
brilliant  offers  to  M.  de  Cheverus  for  the  future  advance- 
ment of  his  son.  He  soon  received  the  position  of  the 
Priory  of  Torbechet,  with  a  revenue  of  eight  hundred 
livres,  which,  enabled  him  to  prosecute  his  studies  in  re- 
tirement and  ease.  This  appointment  was  to  the  Abbe 
de  Cheverus  the  cause  of  an  unjust  and  vexatious  law 
suit  of  several  years'  continuance,  which  there  was  a  per 
feet  certainty  of  his  finally  gaining,  but  which  he  settled 
himself  by  voluntarily  relinquishing  his  rights,  against 
the  advice  and  remonstrances  of  his  friends.  When 
asked  why  he  abandoned  a  case  which  he  was  so  certain 
of  gaining,  his  answer  was  at  once  beautiful  and  heroic: 
"because,"  said  he,  "by  winning  it  I  should  have  ruined 
the  adverse  party."  Having  in  the  year  1781  finished 
his  preparatory  studies  with  great  praise,  he  was  con- 
ducted by  his  father  to  Paris,  and  entered  at  the  College 
of  Louis  le  Grand.  The  loose  doctrines  and  morals  of 
the  Revolution  had  by  this  time  greatly  impaired  the  re- 
ligious discipline  of  this  institi'tion,  but  the  Abbe  de  Che- 


1 66  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

verus  persevered,  in  the  midst  of  dangers  and  tempta- 
tions, to  approach  the  holy  communion  every  week,  and 
to  lead  that  same  modest,  studious,  and  devout  life  which 
had  been  the  charm  of  his  example  at  Mayenne.  He 
gave  an  evidence  of  his  proficiency  in  his  studies  by 
publicly  defending,  on  the  2ist  of  July,  in  the  year  1786, 
a  thesis  in  the  college  with  universal  applause.  About 
this  time,  standing  an  examination  for  a  vacancy  in  the 
Seminary  of  St.  Magloire,  in  Paris,  under  the  direction  of 
the  Fathers  of  the  Oratory,  he  gained  the  first  rank,  and 
thenceforth  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  sacred  studies, 
frequently  shedding  tears  of  rapture  over  the  sacred  pa- 
ges. By  the  rules  of  the  Seminary  he  was  obliged  to 
attend  the  lectures  at  the  Sorbonne,  where,  amid  general 
inattention,  disorder,  and  frivolity,  the  good  Abbe  prose- 
cuted his  studies  with  unabated  zeal  and  industry.  He 
was  made  a  deacon  in  October,  1790,  and  the  Bishop  of 
Mans,  seeing  so  near  at  hand  the  troubles  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, procured  from  Rome  a  dispensation  on  account  of 
his  want  of  the  required  age,  and  M.  de  Cheverus  was 
ordained  December  8,  1790,  in  the  twenty-third  year 
of  his  age,  this  being  the  last  ordination  at  Paris  preced- 
ing the  Revolution.  To  accept  holy  orders  in  those  times 
was  to  court  persecution,  confiscation,  imprisonment,  and 
martyrdom  from  the  fierce  tyrants  who  were  rising  up 
in  France  to  destroy  both  Church  and  State,  and  deluge 
the  fairest  of  lands  in  the  blood  of  the  noblest  and  most 
virtuous  of  her  citizens. 

Undaunted  by  the  calamities  that  were  hastening 
upon  his  country  and  his  religion,  the  young  priest  re- 
paired at  once  to  his  native  city,  and  assumed  the  public 
exercise  of  the  holy  ministry  as  assistant  to  his  uncle, 
the  venerable  Curate  de  Cheverus,  and  at  the  same  time 


His  Eminence  John  Louis  de  Cheverus.         107 

received  from  the  Bishop  of  Mans  the  honor  of  being  a 
canon  of  his  cathedral.  He  was  soon  called  upon  to 
take  the  oath  of  the  Revolution,  which  he  firmly  resisted, 
and,  resigning  his  place,  exercised  the  holy  ministry  in 
private.  Restricted  by  the  municipal  authorities  in  the 
performance  of  his  sacred  duties  to  the  celebration  of 
Mass,  his  father's  house  was  at  once  his  prison  and  his 
chapel.  On  the  death  of  his  venerable  uncle  in  January, 
1792,  he  was  appointed .  his  successor  as  Curate  of 
Mayenne,  and  cheerfully  accepted  a  place  so  full  of 
danger.  Notwithstanding  his  youth,  he  was  the  adviser 
and  the  father  of  both  the  clergy  and  the  faithful  in  those 
days  of  terror.  Driven  from  Mayenne  by  the  revolu- 
tionary party,  kept  under  strict  surveillance  at  Laval, 
imprisoned  in  the  convent  of  the  Cordeliers,  and  being  in 
constant  danger  of  death,  he  finally  made  his  escape 
from  prison  in  June,  1792.  Passing  through  perils  the 
most  appalling  and  scenes  the  most  bloody,  being  in 
the  very  midst  of  the  massacres  of  the  2d  and  3d  of  Sep- 
tember at  Paris,  "happening  at  the  moment  to  be  near 
the  convent  where  the  victims  were  sacrificed,"  with  his 
pursuers  constantly  at  his  back,  he  succeeded  with  great 
difficulty  in  flying  in  disguise  from  Paris,  arrived  at  Calais 
September  11,  1792,  and  safely  reached  England,  then 
the  hospitable  asylum  of  the  French  exiles.  The  English 
government  nobly  tendered  to  the  Abbe  de  Cheverus  a 
participation  in  the  generous  provision  it  had  made  for  the 
refugees ;  but  he,  though  a  stranger  in  a  foreign  land, 
with  scanty  means  and  ignorant  of  the  language,  with 
his  usual  spirit  of  exalted  charity,  thanked  the  govern- 
ment, and  asked  that  his  share  might  be  given  to  others 
of  his  exiled  countrymen  who  needed  it  more  than  him- 
self. He  immediately  commenced  the  study  of  the 


168  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

English  language,  and  in  January,  1793,  became  teacher 
of  French  and  mathematics  in  a  boarding-school,  of  which 
the  principal  was  a  Protestant  minister.  His  pure  life 
soon  gained  for  him  universal  esteem  among  the  Protest- 
ants with  whom  he  was  thrown.  Zeal  soon  prompted 
him  to  collect  together  a  congregation  of  Catholics,  with 
the  approbation  of  the  Bishop  of  London,  and  in  one 
year  after  his  arrival  he  was  preaching  in  English.  He 
also  received  and  accepted  the  invitation  of  an  English 
nobleman  to  become  tutor  to  his  son,  but  did  not  permit 
this  to  interfere  for  an  instant  with  his  ministerial  duties. 
He  was  appointed  by  his  old  friend,  the  Bishop  of  Dol, 
then  an  exile  like  himself,  his  grand  vicar,  and  was  only 
prevented  by  the  entreaties  of  the  Bishop  of  London 
from  accompanying  the  Bishop  in  his  attempt  to  return 
to  France;  an  attempt  which  resulted  in  the  destruc- 
tion by  shipwreck  of  the  Bishop  and  all  his  companions. 
The  Catholics  of  England  were  well  supplied  with 
clergy,  and  the  Abbe  de  Cheverus  therefore  longed 
for  some  other  field  of  labor,  where  he  might  render 
greater  services  to  religion.  He  had  scarcely  de- 
clined the  proffered  presidency  of  a  new  college  at 
Cayenne,  when,  in  1/95,  he  received  a  letter  from  his 
old  friend  and  countryman,  the  Abbe  Matignon,  then 
officiating  at  Boston,  entreating  him  in  the  name  of  re- 
ligion to  come  to  Boston,  and  share  his  labors  in  that  new 
and  fruitful  vineyard,  than  whi.ch  his  zeal  could  neither 
desire  nor  find  a  field  more  boundless  or  more  needy, 
embracing,  as  it  did,  all  New  England  and  the  Indian 
tribes  of  Penobscot  and  Passamaquoddy.  Recognizing 
this  as  a  call  from  above,  after  the  most  mature  reflection 
and  consultation,  he  resolved  to  obey.  He  made  over 
his  patrimony  to  his  brother  and  sisters  in  France,  and 


His  Eminence  John  Louis  de  Cheverus.         169 

.  embarking  for  America,  amid  the  tears  and  entreaties  of 
the  friends  whom  he  had  so  edified  in  England,  "on  the 
3d  of  April,  1796,  he  arrived  safely  at  Boston,  where  he 
was  received  by  M.  Matignon  as  an  angel  sent  from 
heaven  to  his  aid." 

The  prejudices  against  our  holy  religion  which  M. 
Matignon  and  M.  de  Cheverus  encountered  at  Boston 
were  almost  incredible,  especially  when  recorded  of  a 
people  so  enlightened  and  educated  as  the  Bostonians 
were  reputed  to  be.  These  pious  missionaries  com- 
menced preaching  rather  by  example  than  by  word  of 
mouth.  The  holy,  pure,  and  truly  evangelical  lives 
they  led  attracted  universal  attention  and  admiration. 
The  Bostonians  were  astonished  to  see  in  these  two 
strangers  such  profound  learning  united  to  such  humility 
and  simplicity,  such  exalted  virtue  united  to  such  dignity 
and  gracefulness  of  manners,  such  charity,  gentleness, 
and  kindness  towards  every  one,  united  to  such  zeal  for 
a  religion  which  they  had  been  taught  to  regard  as  the 
opprobrium  of  mankind.  They  were  charmed,  too,  to  see 
such  refined,  elevated,  and  affectionate  friendship  and 
intimacy,  which  never  once  degenerated  into  familiarity. 
In  the  persons  of  her  ministers,  Catholicity  became  re- 
spected and  honored  where  before  it  had  only  been  a 
reproach.  Never  did  virtue  and  learning  gain  a  more 
decided  victory  over  prejudice  and  bigotry.  The  virtues 
of  the  pastors  produced  a  corresponding  effect  on  their 
congregation,  whose  exemplary  deportment  and  good 
citizenship  were  acknowledged  by  all.  Prejudice  being 
now  sufficiently  allayed,  the  Abb6  de  Cheverus  began  to 
preach  in  public.  His  eloquence,  which  was  remarkable 
for  its  earnestness,  simplicity,  and  vigor,  attracted  Pro- 
testants in  crowds  to  hear  him,  who  never  went  away 


170  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

offended,  but  always  edified.  Hearing  of  his  extraor- 
dinary merits,  Archbishop  Carroll  tendered  to  M.  de 
Cheverus  the  pastorship  of  St.  Mary's  Church  in  Phila- 
delphia, which  his  friendship  for  the  venerable  M.  Ma- 
tignon,  and  his  love  for  his  New  England  flock,  would 
not  permit  him  to  accept.  He  soon  afterwards  paid  his 
first  visit  to  the  Indian  tribes  of  Maine,  the  Penobscots 
and  Passamaquoddies,  to  whose  spiritual  wants  he  was 
ever  attentive,  and  continued  ever  after  to  visit  them 
every  year.  The  sweetness  of  his  disposition  made  no 
less  an  impression  upon  the  rude  sons  of  the  forest  than 
upon  the  cultivated  Bostonians.  Upon  his  return  from 
his  first  Indian  tour  he  found  the  city  of  Boston  afflicted  by 
that  dreadful  scourge,  the  yellow  fever.  He  immediately 
became  the  servant  and  the  nurse  of  the  afflicted — day 
and  night  he  was  to  be  found  at  the  bedside  of  his  pros- 
trate and  suffering  fellow-creatures,  without  distinction 
of  rank  or  creed.  His  conduct  on  this  and  other  similar 
occasions  completely  won  the  hearts  of  the  people.  So 
great  was  the  regard  entertained  for  him,  that  when 
President  John  Adams  visited  Boston,  and  was  honored 
by  a  public  banquet,  the  two  highest  seats  at  table  were 
assigned  to  the.  President  and  the  Abbe  de  Cheverus. 
And  when  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  were  pre- 
paring the  formula  of  an  oath  to  be  taken  by  all  the  citi- 
zens of  the  State  before  voting  at  the  elections,  fearing 
lest  it  might  contain  something  in  conflict  with  the  con- 
sciences of  Catholic  citizens,  they  submitted  it  for  revision 
and  amendment  to  the  Abbe  de  Cheverus,  who  then 
prepared  his  own  formula,  and  submitted  it  in  person  to 
the  Legislature,  who  at  once  enacted  it  into  a  law. 
Afterwards,  when  opening  a  subscription  list  for  a  new 
church,  which  he  proposed  to  erect  in  Boston,  President 


His  Eminence  John  Louis  de  Cheverus.         171 

Adams  headed  the  list  with  his  name,  and  nearly  every 
Protestant  citizen  subscribed  liberally  to  the  same 
object.  With  such  liberal  and  generous  friends  of  all 
denominations  as  he  found  on  all  sides  ready  to  assist 
him,  he  found  no  difficulty  in  accomplishing  the  erection 
of  his  church,  the  first  Catholic  temple  erected  in  the 
city  of  Boston,  which  was  consecrated  by  Archbishop 
Carroll,  September  29,  1803,  under  the  title  of  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Cross.  While  engaged  in  the  erec- 
tion of  his  church  the  news  of  the  restoration  of  the 
clergy  in  France  was  brought  to  Boston,  together  with 
the  most  urgent  appeals  and  tender  entreaties  of  his 
friends  and  relatives  at  home  that  he  would  return  to  his 
native  country ;  but  he  sacrificed  family,  friends,  and  for- 
tune for  his  dear  New  England  flock,  whose  fate  he  re 
solved  to  share.  After  the  opening  of  the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Cross,  all  denominations  flocked  in  crowds  to  listen 
to  his  eloquent  and  impressive  sermons.  Under  his  in- 
structions numerous  converts  joined  the  Church,  many 
of  them  belonging  to  the  most  distinguished  and  influen- 
tial New  England  families.  He  was  at  all  times  accessi- 
ble to  persons  seeking  either  alms,  advice,  or  consolation. 
Points  of  conscience  were  frequently  submitted  to  him 
for  decision  by  the  heads  of  Protestant  families,  and  so 
generally  was  his  counsel  sought,  that  a  Protestant 
writer  has  said  that  "he  received  as  many  confessions 
out  of  the  confessional  as  in  it,  because  every  one  knew 
that  his  heart  was  a  safe  repository  of  all  disquietudes 
and  all  secrets,  and  that  his  wisdom  always  indicated  the 
path  of  prudence  and  the  road  of  duty."  He  very  fre- 
quently made  long  journeys  to  carry  the  consolations  of 
religion  or  perform  acts  of  charity.  About  this  time  he 
received  a  letter  from  two  young  Irish  Catholics  confined 


172  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

in  Northampton  prison,  who  had  been  condemned  to 
death  without  just  cause,  as  was  almost  universally  be- 
lieved, imploring  him  to  come  to  them  and  prepare  them 
for  their  sad  and  cruel  fate.  He  hastened  to  their  spirit- 
ual relief,  and  inspired  them  with  the  most  heroic  senti 
ments  and  dispositions,  which  they  persevered  in  to  the 
last  fatal  moment  of  their  execution.  According  to  cus- 
tom, the  prisoners  were  carried  to  the  nearest  church  to 
hear  a  sermon  preached  immediately  before  their  execu- 
tion ;  several  Protestant  ministers  presented  themselves 
to  preach  the  sermon,  but  the  Abbe  de  Cheverus  claimed 
the  right  to  perform  that  duty  as  the  choice  of  the  prison- 
ers themselves,  and  after  much  difficulty  was  allowed  to 
ascend  the  pulpit.  His  sermon  struck  all  present  with 
astonishment,  awe,  and  admiration.  At  their  solicitation 
he  preached  several  sermons  to  the  people  of  Northamp- 
ton, and  so  charmed  were  they  with  his  fervid  and 
earnest  eloquence,  his  elevation  of  character  and  sanc- 
tity, that  they  who  when  he  came  to  Northampton  would 
scarcely  give  him  a  shelter,  now  wished  and  entreated 
him  to  remain  with  them  altogether,  and  it  was  with  diffi- 
culty that  he  could  get  away.  He  was  next  solicited  to 
visit  a  distinguished  and  remarkable  Protestant  lady  of 
Philadelphia,  Mrs.  Seton,  who  desired  his  aid  in  her 
troubles  of  conscience.  Delicacy  towards  the  clergy  of 
Philadelphia  caused  him  to  suggest  a  correspondence 
rather  than  a  visit  in  person  to  that  city.  He  was  thus 
instrumental  with  other  eminent  divines  in  her  conver- 
sion. He  was  afterwards  one  of  her  best  friends  and 
counsellors  in  the  great  work  of  founding  the  community 
of  Sisters  of  Charity.  Several  churches  were  soon  es- 
tablished in  New  England  by  his  zealous  efforts.  During 
all  these  varied  and  arduous  labors  he  never  once  re 


His  Eminence  John  Louis  de  Cheverus.        1 73 

laxed  his  habits  of  study,  prayer,  self-mortification,  and 
the  ordinary  duties  of  his  ministry.  He  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  promoters  of  arts,  sciences,  and  literature 
in  Boston,  a  member  of  all  the  learned  societies  in  the 
city,  and,  with  Mr.  Shaw,  one  of  the  principal  benefac- 
tors and  founders  of  the  Athenaeum. 

At  the  instance  of  Bishop  Carroll,  four  new  episcopal 
sees  were  now  about  to  be  erected  in  the  United  States, 
one  of  which  was  to  be  at  Boston,  and  the  Abb£  de 
Cheverus  was  nominated  by  Bishop  Carroll  for  this  new 
see.  Nothing  but  obedience  to  Rome  could  induce  this 
truly  humble  and  pious  priest  to  submit  to  his  elevation. 
He  was  consecrated  by  Archbishop  Carroll,  in  the  Cathe- 
dral at  Baltimore,  November  i,  1810.  Returning  to 
Boston,  clothed  with  ecclesiastical  power  and  dignity, 
no  difference  was  discoverable  in  his  humble  mode  of 
life,  or  in  his  simple,  modest,  and  generous  bearing  to  his 
old  friends.  To  the  good  Abbe  Matignon  in  particular 
his  conduct  was  most  noble  and  honorable,  regarding 
him  always  as  his  superior  in  wisdom  and  merit,  and  as 
his  father.  He  continued  as  before  to  catechise,  confess, 
visit  the  sick,  the  poor,  and  the  afflicted,  and  to  spend 
three  months  every  year  in  the  forest  with  his  dear  Indians. 
He  several  times  preached  by  invitation  in  the  churches 
of  other  denominations,  in  imitation  of  St.  Paul's  preach- 
ing in  the  synagogues,  choosing  generally  on  such  occa- 
sions for  his  subjects  the  real  presence,  confession,  the 
invocation  of  saints,  the  veneration  of  sacred  relics  and 
pictures,  and  particularly  the  infallibility  of  the  Church. 
He  also  sustained  several  public  controversies  with  Prot 
estant  ministers,  in  which  his  superior  learning,  powers 
of  mind,  and  his  courteous  and  amiable  temper,  always 
gave  him  great  advantage.  So  much  was  he  beloved 


174  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

that  it  was  quite  a  custom  for  mothers  to  name  their  in- 
fants John,  in  his  honor,  and  on  one  occasion,  when  ad- 
ministering the  sacrament  of  baptism,  having  inquired 
the  name  of  the  child,  and  being  answered  "John  Che- 
verus Bishop,"  "poor  child,"  he  replied,  "God  preserve 
you  from  ever  becoming  such." 

Bishop  de  Cheverus  frequently  administered  to  the 
wants  of  the  diocese  of  New  York,  then  without  a  Bishop, 
in  consequence  of  the  untimely  death  of  Dr.  Concanen, 
the  Bishop  elect,  and  sometimes  he  went  to  Canada  to 
perform  some  extraordinary  service  for  religion.  He 
honored,  cherished,  and  encouraged  the  religious  orders 
which  had  been  introduced  into  the  country,  particularly 
the  Fathers  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  and  of  St.  Sulpice, 
with  whom  he  always  cultivated  the  most  affectionate  re- 
lations. His  devotion  and  spiritual  loyalty  to  the  venera- 
ble exiled  Pontiff,  Pius  VII.,  were  eminently  Catholic,  and 
he  was  always  an  ardent  and  zealous  supporter  of  the 
Holy  See.  Upon  the  fall  of  Napoleon  and  the  return 
of  Pius  VII.  to  the  Eternal  City,  Bishop  de  Cheverus 
caused  the  Te  Deiun  to  be  sung  in  honor  of  the  event, 
and  on  the  same  occasion  preached  a  sermon  of  surpass- 
ing brilliancy  and  power.  At  night,  when  the  entire  city 
of  Boston  was  illuminated,  the  illumination  of  the  Cathe- 
dral, and  particularly  the  cross,  attracted  great  attention 
and  admiration,  being  more  brilliantly  illuminated  than 
any  other  building  in  the  city. 

The  death  of  the  venerable  and  illustrious  Archbishop 
Carroll,  on  the  3d  of  December,  1815,  having  devolved 
the  entire  duties  of  the  archdiocese  upon  Archbishop 
Neale,  then  very  aged  and  infirm,  Bishop  de  Cheverus 
was  solicited  to  become  his  coadjutor  and  successor;  but 
desiring  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  days  with  his  be- 


His  Eminence  John  Louis  de  Cheverus.         175 

loved  flock  at  Boston,  he  succeeded,  after  much  solici- 
tude and  many  entreaties,  in  causing-  the  Rev.  Mr.  Mare- 
chal  to  be  selected  for  that  high  position  instead  of 
himself.  Relieved  from  the  anxiety  which  the  desire  of 
Archbishop  Neale  to  select  him  as  his  coadjutor  and  suc- 
cessor had  caused  him,  he  now  devoted  himself  uninter- 
ruptedly to  the  diocese  of  Boston.  He  collected  around 
him  a  number  of  young  men,  candidates  for  the  sacred 
ministry,  whom  he  took  under  his  own  roof  and  be- 
came the  director  of  their  theological  studies  and  their 
teacher.  He  also  about  this  time  undertook  the  accom- 
plishment of  his  long-cherished  design  of  establishing  at 
Boston  a  suitable  institution  for  the  education  of  Catholic 
young  ladies.  Such  was  the  origin  of  the  Ursuline  Con- 
vent at  Boston.  On  the  morning  after  the  arrival  of  the 
Sisters  the  Boston  papers  indulged  in  some  unfriendly 
remarks  in  regard  to  the  new  institution ;  the  Bishop  re- 
plied the  following  morning  in  explanation  and  defence, 
and  thus  silenced  all  further  opposition.  What  must 
have  been  the  sorrow  and  mortification  of  this  good  Pre- 
late, when  afterwards,  in  a  distant  land,  he  received  the 
sad  tidings  of  the  burning  of  the  convent  at  midnight  by 
a  Boston  mob,  without  an  effort  being  made  by  the  city 
to  protect  or  defend  it,  and  without  the  slightest  punish- 
ment being  inflicted  on  the  incendiaries,  who  were  ac- 
quitted by  the  tribunals  of  justice  in  Massachusetts, 
whose  Legislature  afterwards  refused  to  grant  a  pitiful 
indemnity  to  the  innocent  and  defenceless  female  suf- 
ferers ! 

The  failing  health  of  his  excellent  and  venerable  friend, 
the  Abbe  Matignon,  had  for  some  time  cast  a  gloom  over 
the  very  existence  of  the  Bishop.  At  length,  on  the 
1 8th  of  September,  1818,  the  good  Abbe  was  no  more. 


1 76  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

His  death  plunged  the  Bishop,  and  I  may  say  all  New 
England,  in  profound  grief.  The  highest  honors  that 
friendship,  love,  and  religion  could  yield  were  paid  to 
the  deceased.  His  remains  were  borne  in  procession 
through  the  streets  of  Boston,  followed  by  the  Bishop 
wearing  his  mitre,  the  clergy,  and  the  whole  congregation. 
The  people  of  Boston  paid  the  greatest  respect  on  this 
occasion  to  the  deceased,  and  to  the  procession  and 
ceremonies  thus  performed  in  his  honor.  Still  more,  the 
journals  of  the  city  next  day  thanked  the  Bishop  for  the 
compliment  he  paid  to  the  inhabitants  by  thus  relying 
on  their  appreciation  of  the  virtues  of  the  deceased 
priest,  and  on  their  enlightened  and  just  respect  for  the 
religious  views  and  rights  of  Roman  Catholic  citizens. 
Such  was  Boston  forty  years  ago ! 

Bishop  de  Cheverus  never  ceased  to  lament  the  death 
of  his  dear  friend,  the  Abbe  Matignon.  Yet  he  con- 
tinued to  be  ever  cheerful  and  indefatigable  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  arduous  and  greatly  increasing  duties, 
performing  his  accustomed  works  of  charity  and  love 
equally  under  the  burning  sun  of  summer  and  amid  the 
snows  and  storms  of  winter,  always  remembering  his 
children  in  the  forest.  After  several  years  thus  spent, 
the  Bishop's  health  began  to  fail  under  repeated  attacks 
of  asthma,  and  his  physicians  informed  him  that  if  he  re- 
mained in  that  latitude  he  could  not  expect  to  live  much 
longer.  For  three  years  he  meditated  on  retiring  to  the 
bosom  of  his  family  at  Mayenne,  and  leaving  in  his  place 
some  one  more  robust  than  himself  to  undergo  the  labors 
of  his  diocese,  but  he  found  his  affections  too  closely  en- 
twined around  his  church  in  New  England  to  come,  of 
his  own  accord,  to  such  a  resolution.  Finally  in  1823  he 
received  a  letter  from  the  Grand  Almoner  of  France 


His  Eminence  John  Louis  de  Cheverus.         177 

conveying  to  him  the  desire  of  the  King,  Louis  XVIII., 
for  him  to  return  to  France  and  become  the  Bishop  of  the 
vacant  see  of  Montauban.  This  letter  plunged  him  in 
profound  grief.  France  and  America  had  each  upon  his 
heart  the  most  tender  claims.  After  many  days  spent  in 
tears,  prayer,  and  consultation  with  his  friends,  he  came 
to  the  generous  resolution  of  clinging  to  his  infant  church 
of  Boston,  at  the  risk  of  displeasing  friends,  family,  and 
king.  His  letter  to  the  Grand  Almoner  begged  and  sup- 
plicated for  permission  to  remain  at  Boston,  and  was  ac- 
companied by  a  similar  one  from  his  congregation,  and 
this  latter  was  signed  by  over  two  hundred  of  the  prin- 
cipal Protestant  inhabitants  of  Boston.  The  King  of 
France  being  willing  to  listen  to  no  refusal,  the  Grand 
Almoner,  in  a  second  letter,  insisted  upon  the  Bishop's 
return  to  France  in  compliance  with  the  royal  wishes. 
It  is  difficult  to  conceive  of  grief  more  intense  than  that 
which  now  bowed  down  the  heart  of  the  good  Bishop. 
He  wrote  to  a  friend  about  this  time,  "  My  heart  is  torn 
in  pieces."  But  there  was  no  way  of  escaping  with  pro- 
priety this  separation  from  his  church  and  his  people,  his 
physicians  having  now  added  their  voice  to  the  over- 
whelming considerations  which  were  pressed  upon  him 
from  France  in  addition  to  the  king's  desire,  stating  to 
him  that  another  winter  spent  in  Boston  would  be  his 
last  on  earth.  The  entire  American  Church  joined  their 
lament  to  that  of  Boston  at  hearing  the  sad  news  of  the 
intended  departure  of  Bishop  de  Cheverus  from  the 
country,  and  sent  to  Rome  a  petition  that  he  might  re- 
main. The  Bishop  commenced  his  preparations  for  de- 
parture by  giving  away  all  that  he  possessed,  distributing 
it  among  the  clergy,  the  poor,  and  his  friends,  and  re- 
solved to  leave  Boston  in  poverty,  as  he  had  entered  it. 
12 


178  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

His  heroic  conduct  seemed  to  inspire  others.  The  most 
generous  offers  now  poured  in  upon  him  from  all  sides. 
Among  many  others,  a  worthy  man,  a  grocer,  who  by  a 
long  life  of  toil  and  economy  had  collected  together 
about  six  thousand  francs,  brought  it  all  and  laid  it  at 
the  feet  of  the  Bishop,  whose  refusal  to  receive  it,  though 
full  of  gentleness  and  gratitude,  brought  only  tears  from 
the  good  man's  eyes.  The  principal  people  of  Boston, 
both  Catholics  and  Protestants,  raised  a  handsome  sum 
by  subscription  to  defray  his  expenses.  Adieus  and  tes- 
timonials came  to  him  from  all  parts  of  the  country. 
The  Archbishop  of  Baltimore  in  his  letter  exclaimed: 
"  Oh !  my  God,  what  will  become  of  the  Church  of 
America  ?  Although  placed  at  a  great  distance  from  me, 
you  were,  next  to  God,  my  firmest  support.  Will  it  be 
possible  for  me  to  govern  my  province  after  your  de- 
parture ? "  The  Protestant  journals  of  Boston  teemed 
with  sentiments  of  sorrow  and  eulogies  on  the  Bishop, 
of  which  we  can  give  but  a  single  specimen:  "This 
worthy  prelate  has  passed  nearly  thirty  years  among  us, 
and  during  that  whole  period  has  inspired  all  classes 
with  the  utmost  confidence  and  respect.  The  amenity 
of  his  manners  as  a  man  of  the  world,  his  talents,  his 
goodness  as  a  Bishop,  his  pure  and  apostolic  life,  have 
been  the  constant  theme  of  eulogium  ;  we  deplore  his 
loss  as  a  public  calamity."  On  departing  from  Boston 
he  was  escorted  by  over  three  hundred  vehicles,  which 
accompanied  him  many  miles  on  the  road  to  New  York, 
from  which  latter  place  he  embarked  for  Europe  October 
i,  1823,  accompanied  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Morainville,  then 
returning  home  for  his  health.  During  the  voyage  he 
was  not  idle,  preaching  and  saying  public  prayers  for  his 
fellow-passengers,  whom  he  always  addressed  as  "my 


His  Eminence  John  Louis  de  Cheverus.         179 

beloved  brethren,"  and  upon  whom  he  made  a  profound 
impression,  as  he  did  upon  all  who  were  ever  in  his 
presence.  The  voyage  was  prosperous  till  towards  its 
close,  when  a  violent  storm  in  the  British  Channel  over 
took  the  vessel,  which  struck  upon  a  rock  and  stranded, 
the  passengers  giving  themselves  up  for  lost,  and  pre- 
paring for  death.  Yet  not  one  of  them  perished ;  their 
rescue  was  universally  conceded  to  have  been  miracu- 
lous. The  scene  is  described  as  truly  beautiful,  when 
Bishop  de  Cheverus,  regardless  of  himself,  was  seen 
bearing  in  his  arms  his  swooning  companions  to  the 
land.  Such  was  the  return  of  this  holy  man  to  the 
shores  of  his  native  France. 

His  journey  to  Paris  was  one  continued  triumph;  not 
the  triumph  of  a  blood-stained  conqueror,  but  a  triumph 
in  honor  of  virtue  in  the  person  of  one  who  practised  it. 
Having  made  his  homage  to  the  king,  he  hurried  to  his 
native  city  of  Mayenne,  to  spend  some  time  with  his 
family.  He  was  suddenly  summoned  by  the  Gran  1 
Almoner  to  Paris,  in  consequence  of  a  letter  from  Rome, 
stating  that  so  urgent  a  letter  had  been  received  from 
the  Bishops  of  the  American  Church  against  the  removal 
of  the  Bishop  de  Cheverus  to  France,  that  grea":  difficulty 
was  experienced  in  permitting  the  change.  But  matters 
had  now  gone  so  far,  and  the  application  for  his  transla- 
tion to  Montauban  so  ardently  pressed,  that  the  wishes 
of  France  at  length  prevailed  over  those  of  America. 
Having  taken  possession  of  the  see  of  Montauban,  he 
seemed  from  that  moment  to  live  only  for  his  diocese. 
His  reputation  as  a  preacher,  and  as  a  holy  and  learned 
Prelate,  spread  over  all  France,  and  his  name  was  on 
every  lip.  On  one  occasion,  when  about  to  leave  a  place 
in  his  diocese  where  he  had  been  administering  con- 


180  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

firmation,  his  carriage  was  surrounded  by  the  inhabitants, 
and  detained  more  than  an  hour,  until  all  could  receive 
his  blessing.  In  the  winter  of  1826  the  suburbs  of  Mon 
tauban  were  submerged  by  a  freshet,  and  the  cabins  of 
the  poor  completely  inundated.  The  Bishop  rushed  to 
the  rescue  of  these  poor  people,  and  took  over  three 
hundred  of  them  into  his  episcopal  palace  as  his  brothers 
and  equals.  During  the  jubilee,  which  occurred  about 
this  time,  Bishop  de  Cheverus  placed  no  bounds  upon 
his  zeal,  and  it  is  almost  incredible  what  wonders  he 
achieved  for  religion. 

But  the  diocese  of  Montauban  was  destined  for  afflic- 
tion, as  had  been  that  of  Boston.  M.  d'Aviau  du  Bois 
de  Sanzai,  the  saintly  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux,  died 
July  11,  1826,  and  by  one  universal  acclaim,  Bishop  de 
Cheverus  was  pointed  to  as  the  most  suitable  person  to 
succeed  the  holy  Prelate,  and  on  the  3Oth  of  the  same 
month  he' was  accordingly  appointed.  On  arriving  at 
Paris  he  was  appointed  a  Peer  of  France.  Having  spent 
some  weeks  in  retiremen't  at  Mayenne,  he  received  the 
pallium  in  November  from  the  hands  of  the  Bishop  of 
Mans,  and  arrived  at  Bordeaux  the  3d  of  December. 
His  administration  of  the  archdiocese  of  Bordeaux  was 
energetic,  exemplary,  and  successful  in  the  extreme.  He 
kept  always  before  his  eyes  the  virtues  of  his  holy  pre- 
decessor. The  establishment  of  an  institution  for  the 
support  of  aged  and  infirm  priests,  the  preparation  and 
promulgation  of  a  new  and  improved  ritual  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  his  clergy,  the  securing  of  able  and  efficient 
pastors  for  every  parish  in  his  diocese,  the  providing  of 
ample  means  for  the  education  of  youth,  the  formation  of 
a  religious  circulating  library,  the  founding  of  religious 
institutions,  such  as  the  House  of  Retreat  and  Mercy, 


His  Eminence  John  Louis  de  Chevefus.         181 

the  Hospitals,  j&c.,  were  some  of  the  objects  that  engaged 
his  attention  in  addition  to  the  usual  duties  and  la- 
bors of  his  office.  Besides  all  this,  he  had  to  visit  Paris 
annually  to  attend  the  sessions  of  the  Chamber  of  Peers, 
but  this  never  prevented  him  from  attending  to  the  calls 
of  religion  while  in  Paris.  He  preached  the  annual  ser- 
mon before  the  Polytechnic  School  on  Good  Friday  with 
extraordinary  effect,  and  on  one  day  he  pronounced  no 
less  than  seventeen  different  discourses.  Charles  X.  often 
consulted  him,  and  particularly  in  relation  to  the  growing 
complaints  and  discontents  among  the  French.  On  one 
occasion  the  king  inquired  of  him  concerning  the  liberty 
enjoyed  in  the  United  States:  "  There,"  said  the  Arch- 
bishop, referring  to  this  country,  "  I  could  have  estab- 
lished missions  in  every  church,  founded  seminaries  in 
every  quarter,  and  confided  them  to  the  care  of  Jesuits, 
without  any  one  thinking  or  saying  aught  against  my 
proceedings  ;  all  opposition  to  them  would  have  been  re- 
garded as  an  act  of  despotism  and  a  violation  of  right.' 
— "  That  people  at  least  understand  liberty,"  replied  the 
king;  "  when  will  it  be  understood  among  us?"  It  was 
about  this  time  and  during  these  conversations  that  the 
king  first  thought  of  applying  to  Rome  for  a  Cardinal's 
hat  for  Archbishop  de  Cheverus.  He  was  also  offered 
by  the  king  the  office  of  Minister  of  Ecclesiastical  Affairs, 
which  he  declined  to  receive.  In  November,  1828,  he 
was  appointed  a  Counsellor  of  State,  and  in  1830  a  Com- 
mander of  the  Order  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  one  of  the 
highest  titles  within  the  gift  of  the  kings  of  France. 
These  and  all  other  honors  were  rather  shunned  than 
sought  for  by  the  Archbishop,  were  always,  when  he 
could  not  avoid  them,  received  with  humility  and  diffi- 
dence, and  were  never  permitted  to  attach  his  heart  to 
the  ephemeral  honors  of  this  world. 


1 82  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

The  revolution  of  1830  came  upon  France,  and  the 
crown  passed  from  the  head  of  Charles  X.  to  that  of 
Louis  Philippe.  In  the  midst  of  the  public  tumult  and 
excitement  which  accompanied  this  great  change  in  the 
condition  of  France,  the  eminent  wisdom  and  profound 
sagacity  of  Archbishop  de  Cheverus  became  powerf  1 
auxiliaries  of  public  order.  While  all  the  rest  of  France 
was  in  a  ferment  of  excitement  and  disorder,  the  diocese 
of  Bordeaux  was  quiet  and  orderly.  The  Archbishop 
did  not  conceal  his  attachment  to  the  person  and  govern- 
ment of  Charles  X.,  but  his  country  was  yet  the  same  be- 
loved France  to  him,  and  he  threw  the  whole  influence 
of  his  character  and  example  in  aid  of  the  efforts  of  the 
de  facto  government  to  restore  and  preserve  order. 
Without  becoming  a  partisan,  he  did  his  duty  to  his  coun- 
try. He  did  justice  to  all  parties.  Charity  to  all  men 
was  the  great  precept  and  practice  of  his  life.  It  was  not 
surprising  then  that  all  united  in  honoring  and  revering 
so  just  a  man.  Innocence  never  appealed  to  him  for 
protection  in  vain;  the  poor  and  afflicted  found  in  him  a 
friend  ever  ready  to  relieve  and  console;  the  orphan 
found  in  him  a  father,  the  widow  a  guardian,  and  the 
most  bitter  enemies  became  to  each  other  the  warmest 
friends  under  the  mild  and  persuasive  influence  of  his  me- 
diation. When  the  cholera  broke  out  in  France,  he 
opened  a  hospital  for  the  diseased  in  his  episcopal  palace, 
over  the  door  of  which  he  placed  these  words  :  "  House 
of  Succor ; "  how  worthy,  how  noble  an  inscription  for 
the  palace  of  a  Christian  Bishop  ! 

The  king  now  applied  to  Rome  for  the  elevation  of 
the  Archbishop  to  the  dignity  of  the  Cardinalate.  All  ex- 
postulation on  his  part  was  vain ;  all  France  called  for 
his  elevation,  and  to  insure  the  acquiescence  of  Rome, 


His  Eminence  John  Louis  de  Cheverus.         183 

the  government  bestowed  upon  him  the  revenues  neces- 
sary to  support  the  dignity  of  the  office.  In  urging  his 
request  with  the  Pope,  the  king  dwelt  upon  the  Arch- 
bishop's "  virtues,  which,  for  a  long  time,  had  marked 
him  out  for  the  veneration  of  the  faithful ;  the  high  quali- 
ties of  which  he  had  given  such  striking  evidences  in  the 
churches  of  France,  after  having  edified  a  portion  of  the 
new  world ;  the  wisdom  and  ability  with  which  he  had 
fulfilled  his  ministerial  duties  ;  and  his  ardent  and  enlight- 
ened zeal  for  religion."  The  language  of  the  Sovereign 
Pontiff  was  :  "  It  is  due  to  the  merit  and  virtues  of  the 
Archbishop,  and  the  zeal  he  has  displayed  in  the  dioceses 
of  Boston,  Montauban,  and  Bordeaux."  He  was  accor- 
dingly proclaimed  a  Cardinal  February  i,  1836,  and  early 
in  March  he  repaired  to  Paris  to  receive  the  red  hat  from 
the  hands  of  the  king,  according  to  the  custom  in  such 
cases.  On  the  Qth  of  March  the  Cardinal  elect  and  suite, 
the  charg6  d'affaires  of  the  Holy  See,  the  legate,  and  the 
introducer  of  ambassadors,  were  borne  in  the  royal 
equipages  to  the  palace.  The  king  was  first  addressed 
in  Latin  as  usual  by  the  legate,  then  Mass  was  celebrated 
in  the  royal  chapel,  and  the  king,  kneeling  in  the  sane 
tuary,  placed  the  red  hat  upon  the  head  of  the  Cardinal, 
who  was  also  kneeling,  and  who,  after  all  had  retired, 
put  on  the  red  cassock  and  other  insignia  of  the  Car- 
dinalate,  and  proceeded  to  the  presence  of  the  king,  to 
whom  he  delivered  an  address  of  thanks.  From  his 
elevation  to  the  end  of  his  life  he  gave  himself  entirely  to 
the  service  of  his  fellow-men,  his  country,  his  Church, 
and  his  God.  The  virtues  which  had  illustrated  his 
whole  life  on  earth  seemed  now  to  borrow  a  celestial 
hue  as  life  waned  and  heaven  approached.  The  princi- 
pal monument  of  this  period  of  his  life  is  the  code  of 


184  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

ecclesiastical  laws  which  he  prepared  for  the  clergy,  and 
which  remains  still  in  force. 

A  stroke  of  apoplexy,  which  he  sustained  in  1834,  had 
for  two  years  greatly  impaired  his  health,  but  had  not 
diminished  the  activity  of  his  habits  nor  his  zeal  in  the 
service  of  religion.  On  Sunday,  July  7,  1836,  he  officiated 
at  the  altar  in  several  churches  of  his  episcopal  city  with 
such  incessant  labor  and  fatigue,  that  in  the  evening  he 
sank  down  with  utter  prostration,  and  on  the  I4th  he 
sustained  another  stroke  of  apoplexy.  On  the  igth  three 
Masses  had  been  said  in  his  chamber,  and  during  the 
fourth  Mass,  at  the  moment  of  the  elevation,  he  breathed 
his  last,  in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his  age.  His  death 
plunged  France  in  profound  grief,  in  which  America 
joined  with  the  most  heartfelt  and  sincere  sympathy.  The 
high  honors  paid  at  Bordeaux  to  the  mortal  remains  of 
the  late  Cardinal,  though  solemn  and  imposing  to  an  ex- 
traordinary degree,  were  but  the  just  tribute  due  to  his 
exalted  worth. 


RIGHT   REV.  MICHAEL  EGAN,  D.D. 

First  Bishop  of  Philadelphia,  A.D.  1810.* 

MICHAEL  EGAN,  a  young  Franciscan  priest  of  the 
Strict  Observance,  came  to  this  country  from  Ireland  in 
1802.  He  was  born,  educated,  and  ordained  a  priest  of 
his  Order  in  Ireland,  but  the  particulars  of  his  early  life 
have  not  been  recorded.  On  his  arrival,  in  1802,  he 
joined  the  Rev.  Father  de  Earth  in  the  mission  at  Lan- 
caster, Pennsylvania,  where  these  two  devoted  missiona- 
ries, poor  in  worldly  goods,  but  rich  in  the  gifts  of  Hea- 
ven, labored  zealously  for  the  salvation  of  souls.  Father 
Egan  was  devoted  to  his  Order,  and  in  his  life  and  con- 
duct strictly  carried  out  the  rules  of  St.  Francis.  He 
was  authorized  by  an  apostolic  rescript  of  September  29, 
1804,  to  found  a  province  of  the  Franciscan  Order  in 
the  United  States,  but  the  means  of  carrying  this  good 
purpose  into  effect  were  not  then  at  hand,  and  the  pro- 
ject did  not  succeed.  He  was  subsequently  appointed 
pastor  of  St.  Mary's  Church,  Philadelphia,  where  his 
zeal  and  labors  won  the  admiration  and  confidence  of 
Archbishop  Carroll. 

The  religious  tolerance  of  William  Penn,  himself  edu- 
cated in  the  Calvinistic  college  of  Saumur,  in  France, 
had  from  the  earliest  settlement  of  Pennsylvania  opened 
the  door  to  the  missionary  visits  of  the  Maryland  Jesu- 
its. As  early  as  1686,  Penn  himself  informs  us  that  an 
aged  priest  was  ministering  among  the  Catholic  settlers 

*  De  Courcy  and  Shea's  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States;  Campbell's  Lift 
and  Times  of  Archbiilwp  Carroll ;  &c.,  &c. 


1 86  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

of  the  province.  Under  James  Logan,  in  1708,  com 
plaints  were  sent  from  England  that  he  suffered  "  public 
mass  in  a  scandalous  manner; "  and  at  another  time,  that 
he  "suffered  the  scandal  of  mass  to  be  publicly  cele- 
brated." The  first  Catholic  chapel  was  a  wooden  building 
on  the  northwest  corner  of  Front  and  Walnut  streets, 
in  which  divine  worship  was  offered  in  1686,  and  the 
second  was  built  in  1736,  on  the  corner  of  Chestnut  and 
Second  streets,  alluded  to  by  Watson  in  his  Annals  of 
Philadelphia,  as  having  been  built  "for  a  papal  chapel, 
and  that  the  people  opposed  its  being  so  used  in  so  pub- 
lic a  place."  There  was  also,  in  1729,  a  Catholic 
chapel  at  a  short  distance  from  Philadelphia,  on  the  road 
from  Nicetown  to  Frankfort,  on  the  estate  of  Miss  Eliza- 
beth McGawley,  a  young  Irish  lady,  who  had  settled 
there  with  her  tenants.  In  1733  Father  Greaton  erected 
the  little  chapel  of  St.  Joseph,  in  Fourth  street,  which 
in  the  following  year  was  denounced  by  Governor  Gor- 
don in  a  report  to  the  Council  as  a  Roman  Mass-house 
for  the  public  celebration  of  Mass,  contrary  to  the  statute 
of  William  III.  We  are  thus  left  without  reason  to 
doubt  that,  notwithstanding  the  "toleration"  of  the 
Catholic  worship  in  the  earliest  period  of  colonial  Penn- 
sylvania, the  intolerance  of  the  people  and  the  subse- 
quent legislation  of  England  placed  some  restrictions 
upon  the  religious  liberty  of  Catholics,  though  it  would 
not  seem  that  they  were  actually  persecuted.  The 
tombstone  of  the  Rev.  John  Michael  Brown,  the  priest 
attending  the  mission  at  Miss  McGawley's,  who  died 
and  was  buried  there  in  1 790,  remained  unmolested  and 
respected ;  for  tomb  and  temple  remained  sacred  and 
inviolate  until  our  own  day,  when  the  tomb  of  Father 
Brown  was  broken  and  scattered,  and  the  temples  that 


Right  Rev.  Michael  Egan,  D.D.  187 

succeeded  the  modest  chapels  of  colonial  Pennsylvania 
were  fired  by  Philadelphia  anti-Catholic  rioters  in  1844. 
The  Pennsylvania  mission  was  sanctified  by  the  noble 
labors  of  Fathers  Greaton,  Farmer,  Schneider,  Wapeler, 
and  other  devoted  missionaries,  men  of  the  purest  and 
brightest  apostolic  virtues.  When  Father  Carroll,  in 
his  capacity  as  superior  of  the  clergy  in  the  United 
States,  visited  Philadelphia  in  1784,  he  found  the  Catho- 
lic congregations  devoted  and  edifying,  and  the  churches 
too  small  for  the  numerous  and  increasing  congrega- 
tions. The  period  of  the  American  Revolution  was  a 
favorable  one  for  Catholicity  in  Philadelphia.  Our  na- 
tional allies  were  Catholics,  and  the  representatives  of 
France  and  Spain,  and  the  staff  of  the  French  army  and 
fleet  mingled  socially  with  our  people,  and  at  the  same 
time  were  in  the  habit  of  attending  the  celebration  of 
Mass  in  the  Catholic  chapels  or  churches.  The  chap- 
lains of  the  French  army  officiated  in  our  churches,  at 
which  the  members  of  our  Continental  Congress  several 
times  attended  in  compliment  to  the  French  officers 
The  eminent  services  to  the  cause  of  Independence  ren 
dered  by  such  Catholic  citizens  as  Barry,  Moylan,  and 
Fitzsimmons  increased  the  favor  with  which  Catholics 
were  regarded,  and  the  ranks  of  our  army  were  supplied 
with  a  full  share  of  Catholic  soldiers,  a  Pennsylvania 
regiment  receiving  the  name  of  the  Irish  Brigade.  "  At 
the  close  of  the  war  a  solemn  Te  Dcum  was  chanted  in 
St.  Joseph's  Church,  at  the  request  of  the  Marquis  de  la 
Luzerne,  Minister  Plenipotentiary  from  the  Court  of 
France.  He  invited  to  it  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States,  the  Assembly  and  the  State  Council  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, as  well  as  the  principal  generals  and  distinguished 
citizens.  Washington  was  present,  as  well  as  Lafayette, 


1 88  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

and  the  Abb6  Bandale,  Chaplain  of  the  Embassy  of  His 
most  Christian  Majesty,  addressed  an  eloquent  discourse 
to  the  crowded  audience."* 

When  the  important  question  of  creating  a  bishopric 
for  the  United  States  was  first  agitated,  attention  was 
directed  to  Philadelphia  as  the  city  likely  to  be  favored 
with  the  dignity,  and  Father  Carroll,  in  a  letter  dated 
July  22,  1788,  to  some  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  said:  "  I 
have  every  reason  to  believe  that  a  Bishop  will  be  grant- 
ed to  us  in  a  few  months,  and  it  is  more  than  probable 
that  Philadelphia  will  be  the  Episcopal  See."  But  the 
assembled  clergy  gave  the  preference  to  Baltimore,  and 
Bishop  Carroll  governed  the  Church  of  Pennsylvania  by  a 
Vicar  General.  Father  Francis  Anthony  Fleming  was  the 
first  to  occupy  this  post,  and  was  succeeded  by  Father, 
afterwards  Archbishop,  Leonard  Neale.  In  1 790  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Matthew  Carr,  a  hermit  of  St.  Augustine,  arrived  in 
Philadelphia  and  built  St.  Augustine's  Church,  which 
was  opened  to  divine  worship  and  solemnly  dedicated  in 
1800.  The  Augustinians  have  for  eighty  years  continued 
the  work  begun  by  him,  and  extended  its  sphere  of  use- 
fulness. The  monastery  and  college  of  Villanova  owe 
their  foundation  and  management  to  them.  Early  in  the 
present  century  Father  De  Barth  founded  the  mission  of 
Lancaster,  in  which  he  was  soon  afterwards  joined  by 
the  Rev.  Michael  Egan. 

The  church  in  Philadelphia,  whose  history  is  interest- 
ing in  connection  with  the  events  of  the  Revolution,  the 
presence  of  our  generous  Catholic  allies,  and  the  respect 
shown  for  it  by  Congress,  was  destined  from  an  early  pe- 
riod to  suffer  from  dissension  and  schism  amongst  its  own 
members.  The  trustees  of  the  German  Church  of  the 

*  De  Courcy  and  Shea's  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States. 


Right  Rev.  Michael  Egan,  D.D.  1 89 

Holy  Trinity,  claiming  the  right  of  patronage,  had  foment- 
ed a  schism,  with  the  encouragement  of  two  priests  whom 
Bishop  Carroll  had  been  obliged  to  interdict.  After  five 
years'  struggle  with  the  Bishop,  the  trustees  submitted 
to  his  authority  in  1802.  These  troubles,  however,  did 
not  cease  with  Bishop  Carroll,  but  fresh  ones  were  re- 
served for  several  of  the  Bishops  of  Philadelphia. 

The  rapid  growth  of  the  Church  in  the  United  States 
compelled  Bishop  Carroll  to  apply  to  the  Holy  See  for 
the  erection  of  four  new  bishoprics,  to  be  erected  at 
Philadelphia,  New  York,  Boston,  and  Bardstown.  The 
diocese  of  Philadelphia  embraced  the  States  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Delaware  and  the  western  half  of  New  Jersey. 
It  contained  at  the  time  of  its  establishment  on  this  large 
scale  probably  fourteen  priests,  of  whom  nearly  all  were 
"  Religious,"  the  Jesuits  having  one-half  and  the  Augus- 
tinians  a  quarter  of  the  whole  number.  The  political 
troubles  of  Europe  delayed  final  action  on  these  measures 
until  April  8,  1809,  when  Pius  VII.,  by  his  brief  of  that 
date,  decreed  in  accordance  with  the  Bishop's  recom- 
mendation, and  appointed  the  Rev.  Michael  Egan  Bishop 
of  Philadelphia.  The  subsequent  imprisonment  of  the 
Pope  by  Napoleon,  the  refusal  of  the  Pope  to  act  in 
such  matters  until  his  liberty  should  be  restored,  and  the 
imprisonment  and  death  of  Bishop  Concanen,  the  bearer 
of  the  bulls,  delayed  the  arrival  of  the  bulls  of  institution 
until  September,  1810. 

Bishop  Egan  was  consecrated  at  old  St.  Peter's 
Cathedral,  Baltimore,  by  Archbishop  Carroll,  October 
28,  1810.  The  consecrating  Prelate  was  assisted  by  his 
coadjutor,  Bishop  Neale,  and  the  Rev.  William  Vincent 
Harold,  of  the  Order  of  St.  Dominic,  preached  the  ser- 
:non.  The  archives  at  Baltimore  show  that  Bishop 


Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

Egan  was  nominated  and  recommended  for  the  See  of 
Philadelphia  by  Archbishop  Carroll,  who,  while  he 
apprehended  that  he  was  probably  wanting  in  firm- 
ness and  inexperienced  in  affairs,  was  "  a  truly  pious  and 
learned  religious,  remarkable  for  his  great  humility,"  and 
the  Archbishop  gave  his  name  the  preference  over  all 
others.  In  a  letter  of  June  17,  1807,  he  said  of  the 
future  Bishop,  "  He  is  a  man  of  about  fifty,  who  seems  en- 
dowed with  all  the  qualities  to  discharge  with  perfection 
the  functions  of  the  episcopacy,  except  that  he  lacks 
robust  health,  greater  experience,  and  a  greater  degree 
of  firmness  in  his  disposition.  He  is  a  learned,  modest, 
humble  priest,  who  maintains  the  spirit  of  his  Order  in 
his  whole  conduct." 

The  zeal  and  devotion  with  which  Bishop  Egan  gov- 
erned his  diocese  were  such  as  might  be  expected 
from  his  previous  life  of  labor,  holiness,  and  religious 
fervor.  Archbishop  Carroll  had  already  experienced 
some  of  the  effects  of  insubordination  in  Philadelphia, 
and  knew  how  trying  and  embarrassing,  even  to  the 
most  vigorous  and  firm,  such  troubles  in  the  Church 
prove  themselves  to  be.  The  milder  nature  of  Bishop 
Egan  had  still  more  serious  troubles  to  contend  with. 
St.  Mary's  Church,  his  cathedral,  was  erected  in  1763, 
by  Father  Robert  Harding,  upon  land  granted  to  him  on 
the  condition  of  his  erecting  a  chapel  thereon.  The 
church  property  was  successively  transferred  by  will  from 
Father  Harding  to  the  Rev.  John  Lewis,  from  the  latter 
to  Father  Molyneux,  next  to  Father  Francis  Neale,  and 
finally,  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania, 
passed  September  13,  1788,  to  a  body  of  trustees  in- 
corporated to  administer  the  finances  of  the  church. 
When,  in  1810,  it  became  necessary  to  enlarge  the 
church,  conflicts  arose  between  the  trustees  and  the 


R ight  Rev.  Michael  Egan,  D.D.  191 

Bishop.  The  former  went  so  far  as  to  claim  a  voice  in 
the  selection  of  their  pastors.  The  controversy  was 
rendered  doubly  disedifying  to  Catholics,  and  embarrass- 
ing to  the  Bishop,  by  the  part  taken  against  the  Bishop  by 
the  Rev.  Messrs.  Harold,  uncle  and  nephew,  who  openly 
became  the  leaders  of  the  malcontents  in  their  revolt 
against  him,  and  actually  went  so  far  as  to  circulate 
anonymous  printed  appeals  to  his  disparagement. 
This  unhappy  schism  is  said  to  have  shortened  the  life  of 
Bishop  Egan.  It  became  the  scourge  of  the  diocese 
under  his  two  successors. 

One  of  Bishop  Egan's  principal  efforts  in  behalf  of  his 
diocese  was  for  the  introduction  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity. 
He  had  visited  the  Sisterhood  at  Emmitsburg  in  1810, 
in  company  with  Bishop  Cheverus,  of  Boston,  and  was 
deeply  impressed  with  the  piety  and  devotion  of  that 
saintly  community.  He  now  desired  to  introduce  some 
of  the  Sisters  into  Philadelphia,  to  take  charge  of  the 
orphan  asylum.  This  asylum  had  its  origin  in  a  pious 
association,  formed  in  1797,  to  take  care  of  orphans  who 
had  lost  their  parents  by  the  yellow  fever.  These  were 
gathered  together  in  a  house  near  the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Trinity,  and  confide  1  to  the  charge  of  a  pious 
lady.  This  noble  work  had  been  specially  fostered  and 
sustained  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hurley,  of  St.  Augustine's, 
and  by  the  aid  of  a  generous  layman,  Mr.  Cornelius 
Thiers.  In  1814  the  Sisters  came;  it  was  the  first 
colony  sent  out  from  the  rising  institution  at  Emmitsburg. 
But  the  good  Bishop  did  not  live  to  welcome  them  to  his 
episcopal  city. 

Enfeebled  by  the  trials  of  his  position,  his  health, 
never  very  robust,  gradually  gave  way,  and  he  expired 
July  22,  1814,  an  exemplary  minister  of  religion,  a  de- 
voted Bishop,  and  saintly  man  of  God. 


RIGHT  REV.  JOHN  CONNELLY,  D.D. 

Second  Bishop  of  New  York,  A.  D.  1814.* 

BISHOP  CONNELLY  was  born  at  Drogheda,  Ireland,  in 
1750.  After  receiving  all  the  education  which  Catholics 
could  then  obtain  in  his  native  country,  he  went  to  Bel- 
gium, and  completed  his  studies  there.  At  an  early  age 
he  embraced  the  ecclesiastical  state  and  joined  the  Order 
of  St.  Dominic.  From  Belgium  he  proceeded  to  Rome, 
being  then  quite  young,  and  entered  the  Dominican  Con- 
vent of  St.  Clement's.  In  this  and  other  convents  of 
his  Order  he  spent  the  greater  portion  of  his  life,  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  various  offices  with  energy,  and 
filling  several  professor's  chairs  with  distinguished  ability. 
He  too,  like  his  predecessor  Dr.  Concanen,  was  agent 
at  Rome  for  the  Bishops  of  Ireland,  and  after  the  death 
of  Dr.  Concanen,  was  elected  Prior  of  St.  Clement's. 
His  great  learning  gained  him  the  admiration,  while  his 
mildness  and  gentleness  of  heart  won  the  affections  of 
all.  His  pupils  long  cherished  his  memory.  Many  of 
them  became  distinguished  in  the  church.  The  Cardinal 
Bishop  of  Albano  selected  him,  on  account  of  his  learn- 
ing, to  examine  the  candidates  for  the  holy  ministry. 
His  capacity  for  business  is  recorded  in  the  fact  that 
while  he  was  Prior  of  St.  Clement's,  at  Rome,  that  city 
being  in  possession  of  the  French  troops,  and  all  the 
religious  houses  being  reduced  to  great  straits,  he  con- 
ducted the  affairs  of  his  convent  with  such  prudent  care 

*  Authorities:  Bishop  Bayley's  Catholic  Church  in  N.   Y.;  De  Courcy  and  Shea's 
C  J.olic  Church  in  the  U.  S.;  Catholic  Miscellanies,  Vols.  3  and  4 ;  etc.,  etc. 


Right  Rev.   John   Connelly,  D.D.  193 

and  exactness  that  he  brought  it  safely  and  successfully 
through  that  trying  ordeal. 

On  the  return  of  Pius  VII.  to  Rome  in  1814,  one  of 
his  earliest  acts  was  to  appoint  a  successor  to  Bishop 
Concanen,  and  the  choice  fell  upon  his  successor  in  the 
Priory  of  St.  Clement's,  Dr.  John  Connelly.  The  latter, 
then  about  seventy  years  old,  did  not  shrink  from  a  task 
which  would  have  startled  even  a  younger  man  than 
himself.  He  was  appointed  Bishop  of  New  York  in  the 
autumn  of  1814,  and  was  consecrated  at  Rome  Novem- 
ber 6,  in  that  year.  Having  completed  his  preparations, 
he  departed  from  the  quiet  and  happy  cloisters  of  St. 
Clement's,  and  abandoned  the  congenial  pursuits  of  a 
lifetime  in  the  Eternal  City  for  the  arduous  field  to 
which  he  was  called  in  the  New  World.  He  visited  his 
native  country  on  the  way,  and  exchanged  a  final  fare- 
well with  all  his  kindred;  for  it  is  said  that  "he  resolved 
on  no  consideration  to  have  about  or  near  him  a  single 
relative"  in  the  administration  of  his  diocese.  Another 
object  which  he  had  in  view  in  visiting  Ireland  was  to 
obtain  priests  for  his  flock,  and  he  succeeded  in  obtain- 
ing from  Kilkenny  College  the  Rev.  Michael  O'Gorman, 
whom  he  ordained  and  brought  with  him  to  New  York, 
where  his  labors  and  services  proved  so  valuable  to  re- 
ligion. His  voyage  from  Dublin  to  New  York  was  a 
protracted  one,  lasting  sixty-seven  days,  the  weather 
proving  stormy  and  the  passage  painful  and  dangerous. 
A  rumor  prevailed  at  New  York  that  he  had  been  lost 
at  sea,  and  the  young  diocese,  so  recently  bereaved  by 
the  loss  of  its  first  Bishop,  was  now  alarmed  for  the 
safety  of  his  successor.  The  venerable  Prelate  was 
spared  to  his  flock,  and  lived  to  labor  yet  several  years 
for  the  American  Church. 
13 


194  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

The  diocese  of  New  York,  when  Bishop  Connelly 
took  charge  of  it,  embraced  the  entire  State  of  New 
York  and  part  of  New  Jersey,  covering  the  territories 
of  what  are  now  six  dioceses.  The  Catholic  population, 
scattered  over  this  extensive  country,  was  estimated  at 
thirteen  thousand,  and  was  attended  by  only  four  priests, 
three  of  whom  were  Jesuits,  and  one  a  secular.  The 
diocese  possessed  three  churches,  two  at  New  York  and 
one  at  Albany.  Of  the  Jesuit  Fathers,  two,  Fathers 
Kohlman  and  Fenwick,  were  not  long  afterwards  called 
to  other  duties  by  their  superiors  ;  and  Mr.  Carbery,  the 
only  secular  priest,  repaired  to  Norfolk,  Virginia;  so 
that  the  aged  and  venerable  Father  Malou  alone  re 
mained  of  the  former  priests  "of  the  diocese.  The  Bishop 
sent  Father  O'Gorman  to  Albany,  and  remaining  at  New 
York  himself,  he  was  both  Bishop  and  priest;  perform- 
ing at  his  advanced  age  the  active  and  laborious  duties 
of  a  missionary.  He  was  untiring  in  his  ministry  at  the 
altar,  in  the  confessional,  dnd  at  the  bed  of  sickness  and 
death.  His  residence  and  mode  of  living  were  simple, 
even  humble;  and  his  zeal  for  the  conversion  of  sinners 
and  unbelievers  and  for  the  salvation  of  souls  was  unre- 
mitting. His  people  at  that  day  were  not  of  the  wealthy 
or  fashionable  circles  of  New  York ;  they  were  chiefly 
emigrants  from  his  own  country,  or  the  children  of  emi- 
grants, and  were  earnestly  and  honestly  engaged  in 
struggling  towards  that  position  of  prosperity,  influence, 
and  usefulness,  which  they  and  their  descendants  are 
now  enjoying.  The  Bishop's  labors,  therefore,  were  un- 
observed and  unappreciated  by  the  mass  of  the  city's 
population ;  but  they  were  not  only  observed  and  re- 
corded in  heaven,  but  there  were  those  on  earth  who 
saw  and  admired.  There  are  now  living  eye-witnesses 


Right  Rev.  John   Connelly,  D.D.  ,  95 

of  his  saintly  life,  his  labors  far  beyond  his  years  and 
strength,  and  of  his  sacrifices  and  trials.  Fortunately, 
one  of  these  has  given  us  a  description  of  this  venera 
ble  Prelate,  as  he  appeared  officiating  amongst  his  own 
people,  on  the  occasion  of  his  consecrating  the  cemetery 
of  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral,  in  August,  1824;  the  acquisi- 
tion and  dedication  of  which  to  the  burial  of  the  dead 
had  been  one  of  the  great  efforts  of  the  Bishop's  epis- 
copate, and  one  whic^i  he  lived  to  see  crowned  with  suc- 
cess. "  At  half-past  ten  o'clock,"  says  the  writer  alluded 
to,*  "the  Right  Rev  Bishop  Connelly,  attended  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  O'Gormar.  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Shanahan, 
proceeded  to  consecrate  the  charitable  spot.  A  great 
concourse  of  people  had  assembled  to  witness  its  per- 
formance, and  all  was  solemn  and  serious  and  impres- 
sive. Never  did  hearts  appear  to  be  in  holier  unison 
than  those  congregated  so  specially  on  this  occasion. 
The  souls  of  the  living  seemed  in  brotherhood  with  the 
dead,  and  to  be  sanctified  into  a  silence  as  profound  as 
it  was  appropriate.  It  was  a  solemn  scene: — the  living 
were  preparing  an  earthly  tenement  for  the  dead.  The 
good  and  the  devout  were  directing  their  every  thought 
to  the  moment  when  death,  with  its  congelating  touch, 
should  fasten  forever  the  flowing  current  of  life, — to  that 
seriously  awful  moment  when  the  human  soul,  divesting 
itself  of  the  thraldom  of  this  sinful  world,  would  plume 
its  wings  and  soar  proudly  to  the  blissfulness  of  a  better 
—to  a  world  where  sorrow  and  misery  find  a  solace,  and 
where  virtue  alone  is  eternally  rewarded.  Never  did 
any  mortal  appear  to  its  in  so  dignified  a  light  as  did  the 
venerable  Bishop. 

•  Charleston  Catholic  Miscellany,  1824. 


196  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

"  '  There  seem'd  he  to  that  solemn  crowd 
An  angel  stooping  from  his  cloud, 
To  medicate  with  sweet  control 
The  troubles  of  the  poor  man's  soul.' 

"  It  was  neither  the  mitre  nor  the  crosier  that  arrested 
our  attention,  for  our  thoughts  were  directed  to  the  be- 
ing whom  they  graced.  Like  the  herald  of  Christianity, 
he  seemed  to  stand  with  awe  and  reverence  on  the  very 
confines  of  time,  preparing  a  pathway  for  mortals  to  a 
glorious  eternity.  His  look  was  piety,  his  glance  was 
comfort,  his  expression  was  love.  Charity  glistened  in 
his  aged  eye,  and  benevolence  played  around  his  vener 
able  aspect." 

In  order  to  complete  the  history  of  the  consecration 
of  St.  Patrick's  Cemetery,  one  of  the  works  of  Bishop 
Connelly  with  which  the  most  sacred  affections  of  many 
of  the  Catholic  families  of  New  York  are  associated, 
we  will  give  the  remainder  of  the  account: — "Imme- 
diately after  the  consecration,  a  charity  sermon  was 
preached  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  O' Gorman,  and  a  collection 
made  to  pay  the  purchase-money  of  the  ground.  There 
was  also  at  Vespers  a  similar  sermon  preached  in  Irish 
by  the  gentleman,  for  the  same  purpose.  We  are  sorry 
we  are  not  able  to  give  the  outline  of  Mr.  O'Gorman's 
discourses  ;  they  would  certainly  be  read  with  the  deep- 
est interest  and  pleasure.  His  appeal  to  Christian  feel- 
ing was  pathetically  grand  ;  and  we  are  happy  to  say  it 
was  not  without  effect.  His  language  was  clear  and 
radiant  as  the  sunbeam.  He  had  not  been  wading 
through  the  foliage  of  a  thousand  groves,  nor  collecting 
the  beauties  of  innumerable  parterres,  to  find  petty  em- 
bellishments to  bewilder  his  hearers,  without  engaging 
their  sympathies  or  awakening  their  thought.  He 


Right  Rev.  John  Connelly,  D.D.  197 

sounded  the  human  heart, — he  vibrated  its  tenderest 
chord — and  (blessed,  blessed  reflection  ! )  now  the  poor 
man  has  a  grave. 

"The  collectors,  who  were  distinguished  by  a  white 
cross  on  their  arms,  appeared  particularly  active  in  the 
performance  of  their  duty.  They  were  well  selected,  and 
they  have  done  themselves  credit.  We  understand  that 
the  collection  amounted  to  about  $450,  and  that  dona- 
tions to  have  been  subsequently  received  are  daily  com- 
ing in." 

Bishop  Connelly  may  be  said  to  have  confided  the 
whole  northern  portion  of  his  mission  to  Mr.  O'Gorman, 
who  earnestly  labored  among  the  scattered  Catholics  of 
that  region,  extending  his  visits  to  Carthage,  where  a 
church  was  soon  erected  amidst  a  Catholic  population. 
The  Bishop,  in  addition  to  his  episcopal  duties,  took  upon 
himself  the  missionary  duties  of  the  southern  portion  of 
the  extended  diocese,  in  which  he  was  zealously  aided  by 
Father  Shanahan.  One  of  his  first  efforts  was  to  secure 
good  priests  to  be  stationed  at  convenient  intervals  in 
this  vast  field.  In  his  efforts  to  accomplish  this  he  met 
with  serious  obstacles  and  severe  trials  from  the  system 
of  trusteeism  which  he  found  prevalent  in  New  York  on 
his  arrival.  The  churches  were  in  the  possession  of 
trustees,  who  assumed  not  only  the  management  and 
control  of  the  temporalities,  but  also  the  selection  of  their 
own  pastors.  Ignorant,  or  regardless,  of  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  Church,  they  regarded  the  employment  of  a 
pastor  as  belonging  to  those  who  had  to  provide  for  the 
payment  of  his  salary,  and  they  selected  their  pastor 
with  reference  to  his  eloquence  and  graceful  accomplish- 
ments, and  raised  or  diminished  the  salary  in  proportion ; 
as  if  God  had  commissioned  his  ministers  and  endowed 


198  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

them  with  the  most  sacred  functions  to  please  and  flatter 
mankind,  rather  than  to  teach,  direct,  and  reform  them 
in  all  things  relating  to  their  salvation.  Thus  we 
find  that  the  trustees  of  the  Church  at  Albany  de- 
sired the  services  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Corr,  of  Mary's  Lane 
Chapel,  and  offered  to  fix  his  salary  at  eight  hundred 
dollars,  a  large  sum  in  those  days  ;  some  of  the  trustees 
of  St.  Peter's,  in  New  York,  wanted  to  engage  as  their 
pastor  Father  William  V.  Harold,  of  St.  Thomas'  Col- 
lege, near  Dublin,  offering  to  pay  his  passage  and  settle 
his  salary  on  his  arrival ;  while  others  of  them  proposed 
to  call  to  their  pulpit  the  Rev.  Messrs.  England  and  Tay- 
lor, of  Cloyne,  Ireland.  The  Bishop  was  so  circum- 
stanced as  not  to  be  able  to  resist  or  attempt  the  aboli- 
tion of  trusteeism  at  once.  Yielding  partially  to  the 
system  which  he  found  in  existence,  he  allowed  himself 
in  some  instances  to  be  made  the  medium  of  conveying 
these  proposals  of  the  trustees  to  the  parties  named  ; 
hoping  thereby  to  avoid  a  breach,  and  in  some  measure 
to  control  or  influence  the  selections,  and  thereby  secure 
efficient  priests,  reserving  the  question  at  issue  for  a 
more  favorable  time.  This  course  proved  a  serious 
affliction  to  the  good  Bishop,  in  one  instance  particularly, 
for  we  find  that  one  of  thq  priests  thus  invited  by  the 
trustees,  in  1818,  soon  began  to  enlarge  upon  the  en- 
croachments already  indulged  in  by  the  trustees.  This 
person  was  a  good  preacher,  a  popular  and  ambitious 
man,  and  was  not  reserved  in  conveying  to  others  his 
view  that  the  Bishop,  though  a  good  man,  was  incompe- 
tent, and  he  went  so  far  as  to  compass  the  recall  of  the 
Bishop  and  the  appointment  of  himself  in  his  stead ;  and 
succeeded  in  enlisting  a  party  of  the  laity  and  some 
even  of  the  clergy  on  his  side.  He  went  to  Rome  for 


Right  Rev.  John  Connelly,  D.D  190 

this  purpose ;  but  failing  in  his  mission,  he  i  eturned  to 
New  York,  was  not  received  by  the  Bishop,  and  then  at- 
tached himself  to  another  diocese. 

Bishop  Connelly  was  constant  in  his  own  efforts  to 
procure  priests  of  known  and  approved  character  and 
fitness  for  the  mission,  and  in  securing-  candidates  for 
the  holy  ministry  in  his  diocese.  Of  the  former  he  se- 
cured the  services,  in  1817  and  1818,  of  Rev.  Arthur 
Langdill  and  Father  Charles  D.  Ffrench,  to  both  of 
whom  he  gave  full  faculties.  He  gathered  together  sev- 
eral young  aspirants  to  the  sacred  ministry,  who,  under 
his  training,  became  zealous  and  devoted  priests.  The 
priests  he  ordained  during  his  administration  were  as 
follows  :— Rev.  Michael  O'Gorman,  in  1815  ;  Rev.  Rich- 
ard Bulger,  in  1820;  Rev.  Patrick  Kelly,  in  1821  ;  Rev. 
Charles  Brennan,  in  1822  ;  Rev.  John  Shanahan,  in  1823 ; 
and  Rev.  John  Conroy,  in  1825.  He  had  also  the  con- 
solation of  witnessing  several  conversions  to  the  Church 
during  his  time,  and  amongst  these,  that  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Kewley,  Rector  of  the  Episcopal  Church  of  St.  George, 
New  York  City,  in  1816;  and  those  of  Mr.  Keating 
Lawson  and  Miss  Eldridge,  both  of  Lansingburg,  whom 
he  received  into  the  Church  at  Albany,  in  1819.  Dur- 
ing the  year  1823,  Bishop  Connelly  made  the  visita- 
tion of  his  entire  diocese,  accomplishing  great  benefits  for 
his  flock,  and  reaping  an  abundant  harvest  of  good  works 
and  religious  consolation  to  himself.  He  extended  his 
journey  along  the  route  of  the  Erie  Canal,  which  was 
commenced  in  1819,  where  large  numbers  of  Irish  labor- 
ers had  been  attracted,  and  amongst  whom  the  Bishop 
labored  with  indefatigable  zeal.  Leaving  the  central 
part  of  the  State,  he  proceeded  westward,  and  was  hos- 
pitably received  and  entertained  by  Dominic  Lynch, 


2oo  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

Esq.,  at  Rome,  and  by  John  C.  Devereux,  Esq.,  at 
Utica,  "  in  both  of  whom  the  Church  found  zealous  and 
able  supporters." '  Bishop  Connelly  erected  several  new 
churches  during  his  episcopate,  including  St.  John's  at 
Utica,  and  St.  Patrick's  at  Rochester.  Bishop  Dubourg, 
himself  noted  for  his  great  energy  and  labors,  in  1823 
declared  it  a  great  evidence  of  the  progress  of  religion 
in  the  diocese  of  New  York  that  it  then  had  its  Bishop 
and  eight  priests.  And  Archbishop  Hughes  used  to 
speak  of  the  progress  of  the  Church  under  Bishop  Con- 
nelly as  wonderful  for  the  means  within  his  reach,  and 
with  the  difficulties  under  which  he  struggled. 

Among  Bishop  Connelly's  works  was  the  founding  of 
the  Orphan  Asylum  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  the 
introduction  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  into  the  diocese. 
The  Asylum  was  incorporated  in  1817,  under  the  title  of 
the  "  New  York  Catholic  Benevolent  Society."  The 
Sisters  were  applied  for  by  Bishop  Connelly  and  readily 
granted  by  Dr.  Dubois,  their  ecclesiastical  superior,  and 
by  Mother  Seton,  and  the  little  colony,  consisting  of 
Sisters  Rose  White,  Cecilia  O'Conway,  and  Felicitas 
Brady,  arrived  in  the  city  June  20,  1817,  and  com- 
menced, in  an  humble  way,  the  founding  of  an  institution 
destined  to  become  one  of  the  finest  asylums  in  the 
world,  and  the  introduction  of  a  Sisterhood  of  Charity, 
whose  members  have  become  in  our  day  the  ministering 
angels  of  many  asylums,  hospitals,  and  institutions  of 
education.  The  small  wooden  building,  erected  in 
Prince  Street  in  1825,  and  which  sufficed  barely  for  the 
three  Sisters  and  five  orphans  first  committed  to  their 
care,  has  long  since  disappeared  from  sight,  and  we  can 
now  view  with  Christian  exultation  the  many  magnificent 

*  The  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  Slates,  by  De  Courcy  and  Shea. 


Right  Rev.  John   Connelly,  D.D.  201 

institutions  in  what  was  then  Bishop  Connelly's  diocese 
that  trace  back  their  origin  to  that  humble  temple  of 
charity  provided  by  that  good  Prelate. 

In  December,  1817,  Bishop  Connelly  visited  Philadel 
phia  on  his  way  to  Baltimore  to  attend  the  consecration 
of  Archbishop  Marechal,  in  which  he  was  one  of  the  as- 
sistant consecrators.  During  his  short  stay  he  received 
many  civilities  from  the  Catholics  of  Baltimore  and 
Philadelphia. 

Bishop  Connelly,  while  oppressed  with  the  cares  and 
labors  of  his  own  vast  diocese,  took  an  active  and  lively 
interest  in  the  progress  and  extension  of  the  Church 
throughout  the  United  States.  The  appointments  for  va- 
cant sees,  in  relation  to  which  the  Prelates  of  the  coun- 
try interchanged  views,  both  with  each  other  and  with 
Rome,  occupied  a  portion  of  his  attention,  as  his  journal 
and  correspondence  prove;  and  he  entertained  the 
most  enlightened  views,  and  presented  to  his  colleagues 
here  and  the  Propaganda  at  Rome  admirable  sugges- 
tions for  the  extension  of  the  Church  in  America.  It 
was  his  view  and  recommendation  that  each  State  of 
the  Union,,  in  which  the  Catholics  would  be  willing  to 
build  a  Cathedral  and  petition  for  a  Bishop,  should  be 
erected  then  into  an  Episcopal  See,  considering,  as  he 
did,  the  dioceses  quite  too  extensive.  In  November, 
1818,  he  wrote  to  Cardinal  Litta,  repeating  what  he  had 
already  recommended  to  Archbishop  Marechal,  that  each 
of  the  States  should  have  its  own  Bishop,  "as  the  best 
means  for  steadily  propagating  religion  in  them."  In  this 
letter  he  stated,  "  that  the  two  Carolinas,  with  Georgia 
and  the  Mississippi  Territory,  will,  in  less  than  twenty 
years  hence,  require  eight  Bishops,  as  they  form  an  im- 
mense space.  That,  therefore,  it  would  be  better  to 


2O2  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

erect  Charleston  with  South  Carolina  only  into  a  bish- 
opric, and  to  give  the  Bishop  powers  of  administration 
only  over  the  rest,  during  the  pleasure  of  the  Holy 
See." 

Bishop  Connelly's  charity  and  benevolence  were  very 
great,  and  no  one  was  too  humble  or  too  poor  to  be  re- 
ceived and  kindly  treated.  During  the  years  1822  and 
'23,  when  the  yellow  fever  and  other  diseases  prevailed 
in  the  City  of  New  York,  his  efforts  to  relieve  the  af- 
flicted were  untiring.  His  personal  fatigues  in  those  days 
of  public  distress  greatly  exhausted  his  feeble  strength 
and  impaired  his  health.  His  charity  was  not  confined 
to  class  or  creed.  To  our  separated  brethren  he  was 
ever  kind  and  gentle  ;  desirous  as  he  was  for  their  edi- 
fication and  conversion  to  the  true  faith.  He  regarded 
charity,  no  less  than  preaching,  a  great  means  of  con- 
verting unbelievers.  •  He  was  upon  terms  of  friendship 
with  Bishop  Hobart,  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Bishop  of 
New  York,  of  whose  conversion  to  the  Catholic  Church 
strong  hopes  were  entertained,  and  when  that  gentle- 
man visited  Rome,  Bishop  Connelly  supplied  him  with 
letters  of  introduction. 

The  Cathedral  in  the  time  of  Bishop  Connelly  was  fifty- 
three  thousand  dollars  in  debt,  the  annual  interest  on 
which  he  found  a  heavy  burden  to  bear,  with  his  poverty 
and  the  innumerable  demands  upon  him.  This  burden 
stood  in  the  way  of  one  of  his  cherished  purposes,  the 
founding  of  an  Ecclesiastical  Seminary  in  order  to  win 
American  youths  to  the  holy  ministry,  to  which,  he  re- 
marked, that  they  discovered  an  "  almost  invincible  re- 
pugnance." The  same  cause  greatly  retarded  his  ef- 
forts to  build  new  churches.  He  therefore,  in  1824, 
called  the  people  together,  and,  with  the  aid  of  Rev.  Mr. 


Right  Rev.  John  Connelly,  D.D.  203 

O'Gorman's  eloquent  appeals,  formed  a  Society  for  the 
payment  of  the  Cathedral  debt,  himself  being  made 
Treasurer  of  the  Society.  Collectors  were  appointed  to 
solicit  aid  from  their  fellow-citizens  generally,  without  re- 
gard to  creed,  and  the  greatest  enthusiasm  prevailed  in 
behalf  of  this  excellent  effort.  •  Had  the  Bishop's  years 
been  longer,  and  his  health  and  strength  greater,  his 
energy  would  have  carried  him  through  this  noble  un- 
dertaking. It  is  gratifying  to  recall  now  the  filial  and 
devoted  sentiments  of  the  Catholics  of  New  York  then 
expressed  towards  their  good  Bishop,  in  the  resolutions 
adopted  in  their  meeting  of  Sunday,  October  17,  1824, 
one  of  which  resolutions  is  as  follows  :— 

"  5th.  Resolved,  That  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Connelly, 
our  beloved  Bishop,  who  most  justly  possesses  the  con- 
fidence of  all,  and  whose  wisdom,  piety,  and  zeal  have  ex- 
eited  the  admiration  of  our  fellow-citizens — whose  con- 
duct, manners,  and  example  recall  to  our  minds  what 
we  have  read  of  primitive  simplicity  in  the  history  of  the 
Apostles  of  the  earlier  ages,  be  and  is  hereby  appointed* 
our  General  Treasurer,"  &c. 

In  November,  1824,  Bishop  Connelly  sustained  a  se- 
vere bereavement  in  the  deaths  of  his  two  co-laborers  and 
friends,  the  Rev.  Messrs.  O'Gorman  and  Bulger,  who 
died  at  the  Bishop's  house  in  Broadway,  within  eight 
days  of  each  other.  The  Bishop's  health  was  now  worn 
out  with  his  labors  and  trials — he  had  certainly  fought 
the  good  fight — his  good  works  had  accumulated  in  the 
treasury  of  Heaven,  and  there  his  reward  was  awaiting 
him.  On  his  return  from  Mr.  O'Gorman's  funeral  the 
Bishop  was  taken  ill ;  he  did  not  relax  his  labors,  how- 
ever, but  continued  them — now  increased  by  the  death  of 
Mr.  O'Gorman — with  his  usual  energy,  though  he  felt 


204  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

conscious  of  his  failing  strength.  He  lingered  almost 
through  the  winter,  always,  however,  at  his  post,  and 
with  joy  at  his  increased  duties  and  the  sufferings  he  en- 
dured. He  officiated  within  a  week  of  his  death.  Fi- 
nally, on  Sexagesima  Sunday,  February  6,  1825,  attended 
by  Father  Shanahan,  he  expired,  at  seven  o'clock  in  the 
evening.  His  remains  lay  in  state  in  the  central  aisle  of 
St.  Peter's,  in  Barclay  street,  for  two  days,  and  were 
reverently  visited  by  thirty  thousand  persons.  He 
was  solemnly  and  appropriately  buried  on  the  pth,  fol- 
lowed by  an  immense  procession  of  clergy  and  laity  from 
St.  Peter's  to  the  Cathedral,  near  whose  altar  his  re- 
mains repose.  The  New  York  Gazette  of  February  10, 
1825,  concludes  its  notice  of  the  funeral  with  the  re- 
mark that  it  "  reflects  much  credit  on  the  Catholics  of 
our  city." 


MOST  REV.  WILLIAM  LOUIS  DUBOURG,  D.D. 

First  Bishop  of  New  Orleans,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Montauban  and 
Archbishop  of  Besan$on,  A.D.  1815.* 

AMONG  the  earliest  of  our  Prelates  Bishop  Dubourg 
was  also  among  the  foremost.  Gifted  with  fine  abilities, 
which  were  improved  by  a  thorough  education,  with  a 
holy  zeal,  and  with  extraordinary  energy,  his  life  was 
one  of  great  activity  and  full  of  enterprise  for  the  cause  of 
religion.  The  active  part  he  took  in  the  first  organiza- 
tion of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  in  this  country,  and  of  the 
Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,  are  prominent 
among  many  claims  he  has  upon  our  gratitude  and  vene- 
ration. After  having  spent  his  manhood  and  his  health  in 
assisting  to  lay  the  enduring  foundations  of  the  Church  in 
the  United  States,  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in 
posts  of  high  honor  and  usefulness  in  France,  and  was 
held  in  great  esteem  and  affection  in  both  countries. 

He  was  born  at  Cape  Frangois,  in  the  island  of  St. 
Domingo,  February  14,  1766.  At  an  early  age  he  was 
sent  to  France  for  his  education,  and  his  after-life  bears 
ample  testimony  to  the  thorough  manner  in  which  he 
availed  himself  of  the  superior  educational  and  religious 
advantages  presented  by  that  country  before  the  Revolu- 
tion had  swept  over  its  fair  domains,  carrying  blight  and 
ruin  in  its  course.  The  native  piety  of  his  soul  here 
ripened  into  the  resolution  of  devoting  himself  wholly  to 
the  service  of  God  in  the  holy  ministry,  and  with  this 


*  Authorities:     Catholic  Almanac,   1839;    Annals  of  the    Propagation   of  tht 
Fait.'i ;  Life  of  Father  De  Amtreis  ;    The  Metropolitan,  &c.,  &c. 


206  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

view  he  entered  the  Seminary  of  St.  Sulpice.  In  this  in- 
stitution he  enjoyed  the  society  and  direction  of  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Nagot,  who  afterwards  introduced  the  Order  of  St. 
Sulpice  into  this  country,  and  was  its  first  superior  at  Bal- 
timore, in  1791.  The  young  Dubourg  profited  well  by 
the  teachings  of  such  an  enlightened  and  pious  guide, 
and  Mr.  Nagot  was  not  long  in  discovering  the  merits  of 
his  pupil.  He  was  selected  by  him  to  be  placed  in 
charge  of  a  new  institution  commenced  by  the  Sulpitians 
at  Issy,  near  Paris,  having  for  its  object  the  education 
of  young  aspirants  to  the  priesthood  by  a  thorough 
course  of  preparation  for  their  theological  studies. 
While  superintendent  of  the  ecclesiastical  nursery  at 
Issy,  Mr.  Dubourg  was  also  preparing  himself  for  gradu- 
ation at  the  celebrated  University  of  the  Sorbonne,  but 
scarcely  had  the  institution  at  Issy  commenced  when  its 
inmates  were  scattered  by  the  French  Revolution,  and 
Mr.  Dubourg,  flying  from  persecution,  took  shelter  in  his 
own  family  at  Bordeaux.  Even  the  retirement  of  the 
family  circle  was  no  protection  for  ecclesiastics  in  those 
days  of  terror  in  France.  The  system  of  spies  and  dom- 
iciliary visits  adopted  by  the  revolutionists,  and  the  cruel 
punishment  of  death  or  banishment  inflicted  both  upon 
the  concealed  and  their  harborers,  allowed  few  to  escape, 
and  Mr.  Dubourg  fled  before  the  storm.  He  went  first 
to  Spain,  and  shortly  afterwards,  sailing  for  America,  ar- 
rived at  Baltimore  in  December,  1794.  Bishop  Carroll 
received  him  with  joy,  as  one  of  the  many  co-laborers  sent 
by  Providence  to  cultivate  the  vineyard  of  the  Church  in 
the  United  States.  He  was  deeply  impressed  with  the 
virtues  and  exalted  character  of  the  priests  of  St.  Sulpice, 
and  to  his  joy  he  found  this  venerable  Order  es- 
tablished at  Baltimore,  and  his  old  friend,  Mr.  Nagot,  its 


Most  Rev.  William  Louis  Dubourg^  D.D.         207 

superior.  He  applied  to  Mr.  Emery,  Superior  General 
of  the  society,  for  admission  into  the  Order;  was 
cordially  received,  and  in  1795  he  became  a  priest  of  the 
Order  of  St.  Sulpice.  In  the  following  year  he  was  sent 
by  Bishop  Carroll  to  Georgetown  College,  to  succeed  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Molyneux  as  president  of  that  institution  ;  an 
office  which  he  filled  with  great  advantage  to  the  College 
for  nearly  three  years. 

The  Sulpitians  were  at  this  time  endeavoring  to  estab- 
lish a  college  at  Havana,  and  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Flaget 
and  Babade  were  there  then  on  that  business.  In  1798 
Mr.  Dubourg  joined  these  gentlemen  in  their  good  work. 
Their  generous  efforts  to  confer  a  lasting' blessing  upon 
that  city  and  island,  though  commenced  under  favorable 
circumstances,  met  with  opposition  from  a  narrow-minded 
national  and  political  policy.  Mr.  Dubourg  and  Mr. 
Babade  returned  to  Baltimore  in  August,  1 799.  During 
their  stay  at  Havana,  however,  these  gentlemen  won  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  many  of  the  more  enlightened 
and  more  truly  Catholic  inhabitants  of  Cuba,  who, 
appreciating  the  benefits  of  the  education  imparted  by 
these  learned  and  pious  men,  sent  their  children  with 
Messrs.  Dubourg  and  Babade  to  Baltimore,  in  order 
that  their  education  might  be  continued.  The  school 
thus  opened  at  Baltimore  soon  received  so  many  students 
from  the  West  Indies,  that  the  temporary  buildings  used 
before  the  erection  of  St.  Mary's  College  could  scarcely 
accommodate  them.  Mr.  Dubourg  was  again  in  Ha- 
vana in  1802,  in  the  interests  of  his  institution.  He 
there  discovered  that  the  Spanish  government  had  be- 
come uneasy  in  consequence  of  so  many  of  the  sons  of 
the  Cuban  planters  going  to  be  educated  under  repub- 
lican influences  at  Baltimore,  and  that  measures  were  to 


208  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

be  taken  to  prevent  a  continuation  of  the  supposed  evil. 
He  retired  thereupon  to  New  Orleans,  and  undertook 
there  the  establishment  of  his  long-contemplated  and 
cherished  academy.  Foiled  here  by  unexpected  opposi- 
tion, he  again  returned  to  Baltimore.  In  1803  the 
Spanish  government  sent  a  national  frigate  to  the 
United  States,  ordering  the  return  of  all  its  subjects  to 
their  own  country.  This  last  blow  to  the  school,  whose 
existence  and  progress  he  had  so  much  at  heart,  de- 
stroyed his  last  hope  of  success,  and  he  seriously  began 
to  look  back  upon  France  as  the  future  field  of  his  labors 
in  the  cause  of  education.  Here,  too,  he  met  with  dis- 
appointment, for  the  distracted  state  of  that  country  was 
wholly  unfavorable  to  his  designs,  and  now,  after  mature 
deliberation,  he  resolved  to  adhere  to  his  first  plan  of 
an  academy  at  Baltimore.  He  now  devoted  all  his 
energies  and  labors  to  the  work;  his  perseverance  in 
this  noble  undertaking  affords  us  an  admirable  example 
of  the  power  of  a  strong  will,  guided  by  religious  motives 
and  heavenly  grace.  Heretofore  St.  Mary's  School  was 
resorted  to  almost  alone  by  foreigners,  while  George- 
town College  was  regarded  as  affording  ample  accommo- 
dations for  the  youths  of  the  country.  Under  the  presi- 
dency of  Mr.  Dubourg  the  institution  grew  in  numbers 
and  efficiency,  and  was  finally  united  as  a  collegiate  de- 
partment to  the  Sulpitian  Ecclesiastical  Seminary  of  St, 
Mary's.  In  1804  St.  Mary's  College  had  become  a 
flourishing  establishment,  numbering  among  its  students, 
besides  those  from  the  West  Indies,  Peru,  Brazil,  and 
Mexico,  representatives  from  the  various  States  of  the 
Union.  In  1806,  the  College  was  raised  by  act  of  the 
Maryland  Legislature  to  the  rank  of  university.  The 
buildings  increased  with  the  number  of  students,  and 


Most  Rey.  William  Louis  Dubourg,  D.D.         209 

finally  St.  Mary's  College  became  prominent  among  the 
seats  of  learning  in  the  United  States,  and  sent  forth 
her  students  to  adorn  all  the  walks  of  life.  "  How  could 
the  result  have  been  different,"  asks  Bishop  Dubourg's 
biographer,*  "when  we  consider  the  tact  and  untiring 
zeal  of  its  illustrious  founder  ?  To  promote  the  educa- 
tion of  youth  was  his  particular  talent.  His  happy  man- 
ner in  winning  their  affection,  in  conciliating  the  confi- 
dence of  their  parents,  in  securing  the  co-operation  of 
those  who  were  worthy  of  the  public  favor,  together 
with  the  general  wisdom  of  his  administration,  could  not 
fail  to  insure  the  success  of  the  undertaking,  and  to  place 
it,  as  the  event  has  proved,  on  a  solid  and  permanent 
basis."  Its  subsequent  career  of  usefulness,  until  suc- 
ceeded by  Loyola  College,  is  well  known  and  appre- 
ciated. 

In  1697  the  western  part  of  Mr.  Dubourg's  native 
island  was  ceded  by  Spain  to  France,  and  in  1795  the 
whole  became  united  under  the  crown  of  France.  The 
subsequent  rising  of  the  negro  population  of  St.  Domingo 
under  their  leaders,  Toussaint  l'Ouverture,f  Dessalines, 
and  Christophe,  against  the  French,  and  the  massacre 
and  expulsion  of  the  latter,  are  well  known.  The  fugi- 
tive French  were  accompanied  in  their  flight  by  many  of 
their  faithful  servants,  and  numbers  of  both  found  refuge 
on  our  hospitable  shore.  Adversity  became  a  blessing 
to  many  of  these,  who  had  been  indifferent  Christians 
before,  but  who  now  had  their  hearts  opened  to  grace 
and  religion.  The  many  acts  of  Christian  heroism  and 

*  Catholic  Almanac,  1839. 

\  Before  joining  in  the  insurrection,  Toussaint  1'Ouverture  protected  the  flight  of 
the  family  whose  coachman  he  was,  and  enabled  them  and  many  other  Creoles  to 
teach  Baltimore. 

14 


2io  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

self-sacrificing  devotion  related  of  these  unfortunate 
people  are  truly  admirable.  Baltimore  received  her 
share  of  these  afflicted  fugitives,  and  extended  a  generous 
welcome  to  them.  Mr.  Dubourg,  himself  a  native  of  St. 
Domingo,  felt  the  warmest  sympathy  for  his  scattered 
countrymen,  and,  though  greatly  occupied  with  his  cares 
and  duties  at  St.  Mary's  College,  he  devoted  himself  to 
their  relief.  Homeless  and  penniless,  they  were  provided 
with  shelter  and  support,ahd  their  spiritual  wants  especially 
received  from  him  the  most  generous  and  heroic  atten- 
tion. To  the  more  humble  and  afflicted  colored  people 
he  especially  devoted  himself,  and,  with  the  aid  of  Rev. 
John  Tessier,  who  had  been  Superior  of  St.  Mary's 
Seminary,  he  gathered  them  together  in  a  congregation, 
and  assembled  them  regularly  for  divine  service  in  the 
lower  chapel  of  St.  Mary's.  Subsequently  confided  to 
the  care  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Joubert,  this  congregation 
afterwards  became  the  origin  of  his  religious  association, 
so  well  known  at  Baltimore  under  the  name  of  Oblates, 
or  Sisters  of  Providence. 

Nor  was  Mr.  Dubourg's  zeal  for  religion  confined  to 
such  extraordinary  emergencies  as  the  above.  Wherever 
he  saw  an  opportunity  of  promoting  piety  and  encour- 
aging good  works,  he  was  ever  prompt  to  embrace  it. 
He  brought  the  male  members  of  the  Catholic  commu- 
nity together,  and  formed  them  into  a  society  having  for 
its  object  the  practice  of  their  religious  duties,  the  per- 
formance of  works  of  charity,  and  the  spiritual  and  tem- 
poral care  and  protection  of  the  members  in  sickness 
and  death.  Gentlemen  of  every  rank  in  life  were  mem- 
bers of  this  society,  which  is  said  for  many  years  to  have 
been  a  wonderful  promotive  of  Catholic  piety,  charity, 
and  union  among  the  Catholics  of  Baltimore.  Its  place, 


Most  Rev.  William  Louis  Dubourg,  D.D.         211 

in  more  recent  times,  has  been  supplied  by  the  Young 
Catholic's  Friend  Society,  and  by  the  Conferences  of  the 
Society  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul. 

His  zeal  for  religion,  and  his  energy  in  promoting  it, 
were  as  far-seeing  and  provident  as  they  were  enthusi- 
astic. It  is  to  his  enterprising  spirit  that  the  Catholics 
of  Baltimore  are  chiefly  indebted  for  the  eligible  and  no- 
ble site  of  their  cathedral.  Bishop  Carroll  was  then  en- 
gaged in  preparing  to  erect  a  more  spacious  church  to 
accommodate  the  growing  congregation  of  Baltimore,  on 
the  site  of  the  old  Cathedral  of  St.  Peter's.  Father 
Dubourg  called  on  the  Bishop,  and  urged  him  in  the 
most  earnest  manner  to  provide  a  more  suitable  site  for 
the  new  cathedral,  and  pointed  out  the  summit  of  the  hill 
for  that  object.  Bishop  Carroll's  plans  for  building  on 
the  old  site  were  already  matured,  and  all  the  prepara- 
tions made  for  their  execution.  The  price  of  the  new 
site  proposed  would  exhaust  the  twenty-eight  thousand 
dollars  then  in  hand  for  the  building,  and  would  leave  him 
without  the  means  of  erecting  the  edifice.  Mr.  Dubourg 
urged  his  views  notwithstanding  these  difficulties,  and 
the  good  Bishop,  after  much  hesitation,  and  with  his  ac- 
customed good  judgment  and  ready  skill  in  using  oppor- 
tunities presented  to  him,  yielded  so  far  as  to  consent  to 
the  new  site,  provided  the  means  already  in  hand  could 
be  saved  for  the  building.  He  accordingly  asked  Mr. 
Dubourg  if  he  could  raise  the  necessary  means  for  pur- 
chasing the  ground  on  the  hill,  to  which  that  zealous 
priest  immediately  assented.  Mr.  Dubourg  went  to 
work,  promising  the  Bishop  to  return  at  the  end  of  a 
week  and  report  his  success.  He  returned  at  the  end 
of  the  week  and  reported  that  he  had  collected  ten 
thousand  dollars  from  the  poorer  classes  of  the  people, 


212  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

and  suggested  that  a  few  words  of  exhortation,  ad- 
dressed to  the  more  wealthy  by  the  Bishop,  would  not 
fail  to  secure  the  residue.  The  Bishop  made  the  appeal 
the  following  day,  and  thirteen  thousand  dollars  were 
thus  added  to  the  collections  of  Mr.  Dubourg.  The 
generous  owner  of  the  ground  reduced  his  price  from 
twenty-eight  to  twenty-three  thousand  dollars,  and  the 
purchase  was  effected. 

The  promotion  of  piety  among  the  people,  as  we  have 
seen,  was  one  of  Mr.  Dubourg's  favorite  objects.  For 
this  purpose  he  was  fond  of  encouraging  religious  pro- 
cessions, and  particularly  the  processions  of  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  which  for  several  years,  under  his  auspices, 
were  gotten  up  and  conducted  with  great  ceremony  and 
edification  in  the  extensive  grounds  of  St.  Mary's  Semi- 
nary and  at  St.  Patrick's  Church.  He  also  organized, 
after  the  manner  of  Mr.  Frayssinous  in  France,  a  series 
of  conferences  on  the  doctrines  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
the  proofs  of  Christianity,  and  the  rules  for  the  invest! 
gation  of  religious  truth.  They  were  attended  by  per- 
sons of  every  complexion  of  creed,  and  were  designed 
to  remove  prejudice  from  the  minds  of  Protestants,  and 
to  strengthen  the  faith  of  Catholics.  They  were  first 
commenced  in  the  form  of  dialogues,  but  afterwards 
were  converted  into  m  discourses,  and  are  said  to  have 
been  productive  of  great  good. 

The  part  he  took  in  the  origin  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity 
in  this  country  has  rendered  the  name  of  Dubourg  dear 
to  our  people  and  Church  ;  for  he  was  the  first  to  suggest 
to  the  illustrious  Mother  Seton,  when  she  was  thinking 
of  going  abroad  to  join  some  religious  Order,  the  expe- 
diency of  making  her  native  land  the  field  of  her  zeal 
and  labors.  These  two  eminent  persons  saw  each 


Most  Rev.  William  Louis  Dubourg,  D.D.         213 

other  for  the  first  time  at  the  communion  table  of  St. 
Peter's  Church,  in  New  York:  the  priest  at  the  altar 
was  moved  by  the  generous  flow  of  tears  with  which  a 
lady  dressed  in  black,  and  unknown  to  him,  received  the 
Holy  Sacrament  from  his  hands ;  his  heart  told  him  it 
was  Mrs.  Seton,  and  it  was  not  long  after  Mass  before 
that  lady  was  kneeling  at  his  feet  to  receive  his  blessing. 
He  learned  from  her  the  plan  of  going  with  her  children 
to  Canada  and  joining  there  a  religious  house.  "  Mr, 
Dubourg,"  writes  the  author  of  Mother  Seton's  Life,* 
"  who  was  a  man  of  enlarged  views  and  remarkable  en- 
terprise, no  sooner  became  acquainted  with  the  desig/i 
which  she  entertained  of  retiring  at  some  future  period 
into  a  religious  community,  for  the  welfare  of  herself 
and  her  children,  than  he  suggested  the  practicability 
of  the  same  plan  within  the  United  States."  While  she 
consulted  Bishop  Carroll,  he  was  consulting  Messrs. 
Cheverus  and  Matignon,  of  Boston,  on  this  suggestion ; 
all  approved,  and  it  thenceforth  became  her  chief  study 
how  to  carry  into  effect  the  recommendation  of  Mr.  Du- 
bourg. Following  up  suggestion  with  prompt  action, 
Mr.  Dubourg,  at  this  critical  period  of  Mother  Seton's 
life,  invited  her  to  come  to  Baltimore,  where  the  College 
over  which  he  presided  had  some  vacant  lots,  and  com- 
mence her  work.  "  Mr.  Dubourg,"  to  use  the  words  of 
Mother  Seton,  "interesting  himself  for  us,  as  he  does 
for  even  the  least  of  God's  creatures,  to  whom  he  may 
be  useful,  said  decidedly,  '  Come  to  us,  Mrs.  Seton  ;  we 
will  assist  you  in  forming  a  plan  of  life,  which,  while  it 
will  forward  your  views  of  contributing  to  the  support  of 
your  children,  will  also  shelter  them  from  the  dangers  to 
which  they  are  exposed  among  their  Protestant  conr..:c- 

*  Life  of  Mrs.  Seton,  by  Kev.  C.  I.  White,  D.D. 


214  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

tions,  and  also  afford  you  more  consolation  in  the  exer- 
cise of  your  faith  than  you  have  yet  enjoyed.  We  also 
wish  to  form  a  small  school  for  the  promotion  of  religious 
instruction  for  such  children,  whose  parents  are  inter- 
ested in  that  point.'  You  may  be  sure  I  objected  only 
for  want  of  talents  ;  to  which  he  replied,  '  We  want  ex- 
ample more  than  talents.' "  This  plan  was  also  approved 
by  Mother  Seton's  advisers,  and  henceforth  the  matter 
seemed  to  engross  the  whole  attention  of  Mr.  Dubourg. 
He  made  all  the  preparations  for  her  accommodation  in 
Baltimore,  and  his  letters  to  her  at  this  time  unfold  all 
the  plans  he  had  formed,  and  show  how  earnest  an  in- 
strument he  was  in  working  out  the  designs  of  Provi- 
dence. His  letter  to  her  on  the  eve  of  her  departure 
from  New  York  to  Baltimore,  after  detailing  his  views, 
concludes  with  these  words,  so  creditable  to  his  generous 
heart: — "  My  sister  is  eager  to  lock  you  in  her  arms,  and 
to  form  with  you  a  connection,  which  even  death  will 
never  dissolve.  My  little  niece  has  written  to  her  mam- 
ma, in  the  effusion  of  her  joy  at  the  approach  of  a  new 
mamma,  and  a  new  family  of  Sisters.  She  shares  (and 
it  is  noi  saying  little)  in  all  the  sentiments  of  veneration 
and  affectionate  regard  for  you  which  glow  in  the  breast 
of  your  ever  devoted  friend."  It  is  not  necessary  to  re- 
late in  detail  the  welcome  he  extended  to  his  protegees ; 
how  he  received  Mother  Seton's  two  sons  into  St. 
Mary's  College ;  how  he  directed  and  watched  over  the 
little  community  thus  formed  like  a  tender  father ;  and 
how  his  very  soul  seemed  to  revel  in  holy  delight  at  its 
progress  and  development.  In  1809  Mother  Seton's 
little  family  was,  under  the  advice  of  Mr.  Dubourg, 
formed  into  a  religious  community,  and  when,  on  the 
feast  of  Corpus  Christi  of  that  year,  they  appeared  for 


Most  Rev.  William  Louis  Dubourg,  D.D.         215 

the  first  time  in  St.  Mary's  Chapel,  in  the  new  religious 
habit,  amidst  the  general  delight  felt  at  this  auspicious 
event,  we  are  told  that  "  Mr.  Dubourg  in  particular  was 
in  raptures  at  the  spectacle  presented  by  this  little  band 
of  devoted  Sisters,  which  had  been  formed  under  his 
wise  superintendence,  and  was  to  be  the  germ  of.  so 
much  good  to  religion  and  society."  He  was  appointed 
by  Archbishop  Carroll  the  Ecclesiastical  Superior  of  the 
new  community,  a  position  due  to  his  eminent  services 
in  its  foundation.  Though  preferring  Baltimore  as  their 
permanent  location,  he  generously  co-operated  in  the 
plan  that  led  to  the  adoption  of  Emmittsburg,  whither 
he  went  in  person  to  select  and  purchase  the  land  for 
them,  and  where,  when  his  cherished  Sisters  were  re- 
moved thither,  he  was  equally  their  friend  and  father. 
So  much  was  this  the  case,  that  Mother  Seton,  in  a  letter 
she  wrote  from  Emmittsburg  in  December,  1811,  says: 
"The  Rev.  Mr.  Dubourg  has  exerted  himself  continually 
for  us,  and  bestowed  all  he  could  personally  give." 
When  he  left  Baltimore  finally  for  other  fields  of  useful- 
ness and  labor,  the  community  of  St.  Joseph's  was  firmly 
established,  and  he  never  failed  to  feel  a  lively  interest 
in  it,  and,  when  Bishop  of  New  Orleans,  to  visit  it  when- 
ever he  was  in  that  section  of  the  country. 

Mr.  Dubourg  was  also,  during  his  residence  in  Balti- 
more, a  brave  and  zealous  champion  of  his  Faith  and 
Church  ;  never  permitting  any  attacks  upon  either  to  go 
unanswered.  On  one  occasion  he  requested  the  editor 
of  a  paper,  in  which  had  been  inserted  an  attack  upon 
Catholic  doctrines,  to  publish  his  reply  :  the  editor  at 
first  ungenerously  refused,  and  only  yielded  when  Mr. 
Dubourg  informed  him  that  the  reply  would  be  published 
in  another  paper  of  Baltimore,  with  a  statement  that  the 


216  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

editor  who  had  published  one  side,  had  refused  to  the  other 
side  the  privilege  of  replying  in  the  same  paper  that  had 
published  the  attack.  On  another  occasion  he  entered 
into  the  arena  of  controversy  with  the  clerical  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Synod  of  Baltimore,  who,  chagrined 
at  the  advancement  of  St.  Mary's  College,  had  publicly 
attacked  that  institution  and  the  faith  it  professed.  Mr. 
Dubourg's  vindication  of  his  institution  and  of  the  Cath- 
olics at  large  was  an  able  and  spirited  paper;  it  was 
followed  by  a  reply  from  the  Presbyterians,  entitled  the 
"  Pastoral  Letter,"  and  Mr.  Dubourg's  rejoinder,  "  The 
Sons  of  St.  Dominic,"  closed  the  controversy.  The 
necessity  for  his  thus  appearing  in  public  print  suggest- 
ed to  him  the  expediency,  of  commencing  the  publica- 
tion of  a  Catholic  paper  at  Baltimore,  a  plan,  however, 
which  was  interrupted  by  his  departure  for  New  Orleans. 
The  diocese  of  New  Orleans  embraced,  besides  the 
present  archdiocese,  the  territory  now  covered  by  the 
dioceses  of  Natchitoches,  Natchez,  Little  Rock,  and  St. 
Louis.  The  See  had  been  vacant  since  1801,  when  its 
first  Bishop  was  translated  to  another  See  ;  the  second 
Bishop  died  at  Rome  in  1802,  before  coming  to  this 
country.  In  1804,  Louisiana,  embracing  the  whole  terri- 
tory northwest  of  the  Mississippi,  was  ceded  by  France 
to  the  United  States,  and  some  time  afterward  this  vast 
region  was  placed  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Bishop  Car- 
roll. The  Rev.  Thomas  Hasset,  who  was  Vicar-Gener- 
al from  the  departure  of  the  first  Bishop  of  New  Or- 
leans, died  in  1804,  leaving  the  diocese  without  a  head. 
Bishop  Carroll  had  long  been  anxious  to  have  a  Bishop 
appointed  for  New  Orleans,  and  had  successively  nomi- 
nated the  Rev.  Mr.  David  and  Rev.  Mr.  Nerrinckx  to  that 
,See,  but  both  these  had,  from  delicacy  of  conscience, 


Most  Rev.  William  Louis  Duboutg,  D.D.         217 

resolutely  declined  the  proffered  honor.  The  negotia- 
tions with  the  Holy  See,  in  reference  to  filling  the  See 
of  New  Orleans,  consumed  much  valuable  time,  during 
which  the  interests  of  religion  had  unavoidably  suffered. 
In  1812  Bishop  Carroll  appointed,  by  virtue  of  Apostoli- 
cal Briefs,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Dubourg  Administrator  Apos- 
tolic of  that  diocese.  The  bulls  for  his  appointment  as 
Bishop  were  delayed  in  consequence  of  the  restraints 
placed  upon  Pope  Pius  VII.,  and  the  refusal  of  that 
Pontiff  to  issue  any  more  bulls  until  he  could  consult 
freely  with  his  natural  counsellors,  the  Cardinals.  Urged 
by  Bishop  Carroll  to  accept  the  appointment  of  Adminis- 
trator, and  to  proceed  at  once  to  the  suffering  flock,  Mr. 
Dubourg  complied  with  the  wishes  of  his  venerable  su- 
perior, and  started  for  New  Orleans,  where  he  arrived 
towards  the  close  of  the  year  1812.  He  entered  promptly 
and  vigorously  upon  the  responsible  and  arduous  duties 
of  his  office.  The  state  of  religion  in  the  Southwest  at 
this  time,  and  the  difficulties  which  the  new  Administra- 
tor encountered,  are  well  portrayed  by  his  biographer  in 
the  following  passage  :  "  Religion  was  in  a  most  deplo- 
rable condition,  but  a  few  clergymen  distributed  over  its 
vast  territory,  scarcely  a  church  in  which  the  faithful  could 
assemble  to  hear  the  words  of  eternal  life  ;  no  institution 
that  offered  an  asylum  to  the  innocent  and  penitent  heart ; 
no  seminary  of  learning  to  dispense  the  blessings  of 
classical  and  religious  instruction  ;  the  child  reared  in  ig- 
norance and  the  forgetfulness  of  duty,  the  adult  debar- 
red from  a  participation  of  the  Sacraments  ;  all  classes  of 
society  living  in  a  woful  indifference  upon  the  subject  of 
their  eternal  welfare  ;  such  was  the  scene  of  desolation 
he  was  compelled  to  witness.  If  we  add  to  this  the  op- 
position he  met  with  on  the  part  of  those  whose  interests 


218  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

he  had  identified  with  his  own,  whose  happiness  was  the. 
only  object  of  his  sighs  and  fervent  prayers  to  heaven  ;  if 
we  advert  to  the  insulting  treatment  that  so  often  respond- 
ed to  his  apostolic  and  undaunted  zeal,  what  a  combina- 
tion of  causes  to  shake  his  constancy  and  afflict  his  bene- 
volent heart !  But  he  had  a  soul  that  had  learned  to  soar 
above  all  the  difficulties  and  embarrassments  of  life  ; 
and  with  confidence  in  Him,  who  had  sent  him  to  culti- 
vate this  wild  and  unproductive  field,  he  entered  with 
courage  upon  the  laborious  task,  devoting  himself  with- 
out reserve  to  the  welfare  of  the  flock  committed  to  his 
charge."* 

Dr.  Dubourg,  though  of  foreign  birth,  was  one  of 
those  who  thoroughly  identified  himself  with  the  country 
of  his  adoption.  The  commencement  of  his  career  in 
New  Orleans  was  in  the  midst  of  a  war  that  greatly  ex- 
cited the  whole  community,  for  it  was  brought  to  the 
very  doors  of  the  people,  who  were  compelled  to  defend 
their  firesides  against  foreign  invasion.  No  one  more  sin- 
cerely sympathized  with  the  brave  people  with  whom 
his  lot  was  cast  than  he.  He  animated  their  patriotism, 
encouraged  their  bravery,  and  directed  their  minds  and 
hearts  to  the  throne  of  the  God  of  battles.  When  the 
British  troops  were  on  the  eve  of  advancing  on  the  city 
of  New  Orleans,  and  the  din  of  arms  resounded  on 
every  side,  he  was  among  the  first  to  share  in  the  trials 
and  support  the  hopes  of  the  citizens.  His  chief  reliance 
was  on  the  "  Supreme  Arbiter  of  human  destinies,"  and 
he  summoned  his  flock  to  public  and  solemn  prayer,  that 
they  might  humble  themselves  in  the  presence  of  the 
Almighty,  and  look  for  deliverance  to  Him,  who 
witnessed/  the  "justice  and  holiness  of  their  cause." 
His  letter  to  his  people  breathed  sentiments  of  the 

*   Catholic  Almanac,  1839. 


Most  Rev.  William  Louis  Dbuourg,  D.D.          219 

most  exalted  patriotism,  a  virtue  which  he  estimated 
above  a  mere  civil  virtue,  and  as  one  hallowed  witU 
the  sentiment  of  religion.  General  Jackson,  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  of  the  American  Army  in  that  dis- 
trict, was  greatly  impressed  with  his  exalted  sentiments, 
expressed  the  warmest  approbation  of  the  measures  he 
adopted,  and  requested  him  to  have  them  published 
and  circulated  among  the  people.  But  the  heart  that  so 
warmly  sympathized  with  their  sufferings  and  dangers 
was  also  foremost  to  rejoice  in  their  happy  and  safe  de- 
liverance. It  is  only  known  in  Heaven  how  much  his 
prayers  and  those  of  his  flock  contributed  to  this  glorious 
result.  On  the  return  of  the  intrepid  Hero  of  New  Or- 
leans from  the  field  of  battle  and  of  victory,  he  was  hail- 
ed by  the  public-spirited  Dubourg  with  a  beautiful  ad- 
dress, welcoming  the  chief  to  the  city,  which,  under 
Providence,  he  had  saved,  and  at  the  altar  to  join  in 
the  solemn  thanksgiving  for  the  favor  and  protection  of 
Heaven.  Congratulating  the  General'  on  his  brilliant  vic- 
tory, he  at  the  same  time  pointed  to  God  as  the  only 
source  of  victory'  and  as  the  true  Father,  Protector,  and 
Defender  of  weak  and  dependent  man.  After  allud- 
ing in  eloquent  terms  to  the  great  victory  which  had 
just  been  achieved,  he  refers  all  to  the  Sovereign  Ruler  of 
the  Universe,  and  says:  "To  Him  our  most  fervent 
thanks  are  due  for  our  late  unexpected  rescue,  and  it  is 
Him  we  chiefly  intend  to  praise,  when,  considering  you, 
General,  as  the  man  of  His  right  hand,  whom  he  has 
taken  pains  to  fit  out  for  the  important  commission  of  our 
defense,  we  extol  that  fecundity  of  genius  by  which,  in 
an  instant  of  the  most  discouraging  distress,  you  created 
unforeseen  resources  ;  raised,  as  it  were,  from  the  ground 
hosts  of  intrepid  warriors,  and  provided  every  vulner- 


220  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

able  point  with  ample  means  of  defence.  To  Him  we 
trace  that  instinctive  superiority  of  your  mind,  which  at 
once  rallied  around  you  universal  confidence  ;  impressed 
one  irresistible  movement  upon  all  the  jarring  elements 
of  which  this  political  machine  is  composed ;  aroused 
their  slumbering  spirits,  and  diffused  through  every  rank 
that  noble  ardor  which  glowed  in  your  own  bosom. 
To  Him,  in  fine,  we  address  our  acknowledgments  for 
that  consummate  prudence  which  defeated  all  the  combi- 
nations of  a  sagacious  enemy,  entangled  him  in  the  very 
snares  which  he  had  spread  before  us,  and  succeeded  in 
effecting  his  utter  destruction,  without  once  exposing  the 
lives  of  our  citizens.  Immortal  thanks  be  to  His  Supreme 
Majesty  for  sending  us  such  an  instrument  of  his  bounti- 
ful designs  ! — a  gift  of  that  value  is  the  best  token  of  the 
continuance  of  His  protection,  the  most  solid  encourage- 
ment to  us  to  sue  for  new  favors.  The  first  which  it  em- 
boldens us  humbly  to  supplicate,  as  it  is  the  nearer  to 
our  throbbing  hearts,  is  that  you  may  enjoy,  General,  the 
honor  of  your  grateful  country,  of  which  you  will  permit 
us  to  present  you  a  pledge  in  this  wreath  of  laurel, 
the  prize  of  victory,  the  symbol  of  immortality." 

In  the  early  part  of  1815,  Mr.  Dubourg,  whose  exam- 
ination of  the  condition  of  his  extended  diocese  had  re- 
vealed the  necessity  for  more  priests,  and  for  additional 
religious  and  educational  institutions,  and  the  great  want 
of  means  to  supply  them,  embarked  for  Europe  in  the 
hope  of  being  able  to  procure  the  desired  relief.  Pro- 
ceeding to  Rome,  he  laid  before  the  Holy  Father  an  ac- 
count of  his  vast  jurisdiction,  its  condition,  wants,  and 
neglected  missions,  and  received  many  marks  of  esteem, 
assistance,  and  paternal  affection.  Archbishop  Carroll 
had  requested  his  appointment  to  the  See  of  New  Or- 


Most  Rev.   William  Loiiis  Diibourg,  D.D.         221 

leans,  and  it  was  not  long  after  his  arrival  in  Rome  that 
the  Pope  appointed  him  Bishop  of  that  diocese.  Con- 
scious of  the  heavy  burden  thus  imposed  upon  him,  and 
of  the  difficulties  he  would  have  to  encounter,  he  yielded 
to  the  wishes  of  the  Archbishop  and  of  the  Pope  with 
great  humility  and  diffidence.  He  was  consecrated  at 
Rome,  September  24,  1815.  Before  leaving  that  city  he 
secured  for  his  diocese  several-  priests  of  the  Order  of 
Lazarists,  from  the  Roman  province  of  the  Order,  among 
whom  were  the.  saintly  Father  Andreis,  and  the  zealous 
Father  Rosati,  afterwards  Bishop  of  St.  Louis.  From 
Italy  he  went  to  France,  where  he  also  secured  recruits 
for  the  Louisiana  missions.  Louis  XVIII.  generously 
placed  at  his  service  the  Caravane,  a  French  ship  of 
war,  on  board  of  which,  with  his  companions,  thirty-one 
in  number,  he  embarked  July  i,  1817,  and  after  a  pas- 
sage of  sixty- five  days,  landed  at  Annapolis,  Maryland,  on 
the  4th  of  September.  His  companions  consisted  of  five 
priests  and  twenty-six  young  men,  some  of  whom  were 
destined  for  the  priesthood,  and  others  were  destined  for 
lay-brothers  to  assist  the  missionaries.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Blanc,  afterwards  Archbishop  of  New  Orleans,  was  one  of 
the  company.  A  portion  of  these  noble  pioneers  of  the 
faith  in  the  South-west  pushed  on  to  Baltimore  with  Bishop 
Dubourg,  and  the  remainder  of  them  stayed  at  Annapolis 
until  the  end  of  October,  being  the  guests  of  the  venera- 
ble and  patriotic  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton.  The  Bish 
op  visited  Washington  ;  here  and  at  Baltimore  he  was  re- 
ceived with  great  joy  by  his  old  friends,  and  performed 
many  of  the  offices  and  ceremonies  of  his  episcopal  office. 
In  the  mean  time  he  was  preparing  for  his  departure  for  St. 
Louis,  where  he  determined  for  the  present  to  locate  his 
See.  The  journey  to  St.  Louis,  whither  the  Bishop  de- 


222  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

termined  directly  to  proceed,  was  long  and  arduous,  for 
there  were  few  conveniences  for  traveling  in  those  days. 
It  was  made  in  the  stage  that  started  westward  once  a 
week,  so  that  the  company  were  forwarded  in  divisions, 
and  three  weeks  were  consumed  in  reaching  Pittsburgh. 
The  Bishop  and  Mr.  Blanc  were  in  the  last  division,  and 
after  remaining  in  the  stage  two  days,  encountering  re- 
peated upsettings  and  running  frequent  risks  of  their 
lives,  they  abandoned  the  conveyance  and  made  the  rest 
of  the  journey  to  Pittsburgh,  for  five  days,  on  foot  Em- 
barking thence  on  a  flat-boat,  they  reached  Louisville, 
where  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Chabrat  and  Shaeffer  had  been 
sent  by  Bishop  Flaget  to  welcome  them  to  Kentucky. 
They  arrived  at  St.  Thomas',  the  Cathedral  of  Bishop 
Flaget,  November  2,  and  were  most  affectionately  receiv- 
ed by  the  saintly  Bishop  of  Bardstown.  The  meeting 
between  Bishops  Flaget  and  Dubourg  was  not  only  that 
of  two  old  and  devoted  friends,  but  also  of  two  purest 
and  most  zealous  of  the  friends  of  God,  who  experienced 
a  heavenly  companionship  in  serving  the  same  Divine 
Master  on  earth.  Bishop  Flaget  officiated  pontifically 
in  St.  Thomas',  and  preached  an  admirable  sermon.  On 
the  1 2th  of  December,  escorted  by  Bishop  Flaget,  he 
proceeded  with  his  companions  on  board  of  a  small 
and  crowded  steamboat  by  the  way  of  Louisville  to  St. 
Louis.  Landing  on  the  28th  of  December  below  St. 
Genevieve,  the  Bishop  took  possession  of  his  diocese  by 
erecting  a  cross  and  chanting  with  his  clergy  and  com- 
panions the  hymn  Vexilla  Regis  Prodeunt.  They  ar- 
rived at  St.  Genevieve  at  midnight  on  the  3Oth,  where 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Andreis  was  stationed;  and  on  the  3ist, 
"  about  thirty  of  the  principal  inhabitants  came,  with  seve- 
ral young  men  on  horseback  and  a  carriage,  to  escort  the' 


Most  Rev.  William  Louis  Dubourg,  D.D.     .    223 

Bishops  into  the  town.  "  We  went,"  says  Bishop  Flaget, 
"  to  the  presbytery  to  put  on  our  pontifical  robes ; 
twenty-four  choir-children,  with  cross  at  their  head,  and 
four  citizens  bearing  a  canopy,  conducted  us  to  the 
church,  where,  after  the  installation  of  Bishop  Dubourg 
on  a  throne  especially  prepared  for  the  purpose,  we 
sang  the  Te  Deum.  The  whole  day  was  spent  in  re- 
ceiving visits."  On  the  ist  of  January,  1818,  Bishop 
Dubourg  celebrated  Pontifical  Mass  at  St.  Genevieve. 
They  arrived  at  St.  Louis  on  the  5th,  when  the  new 
Bishop  made  his  pontifical  entry,  and  was  received  with 
great  pomp  amidst  the  joyful  acclamations  of  the  people. 
Arrived  at  the  church,  Bishop  Flaget  conducted  him  to  his 
chair,  and  "  expressed  to  him,  with  his  usual  fervor  and 
apostolical  spirit,  the  unmingled  satisfaction  he  experi- 
enced in  beholding  him  in  the  midst  of  his  flock.  The 
people  seemed  universally  animated  with  the  same  lively 
feelings  at  the  contemplation  of  so  thrilling  a  scene — one 
which  was  the  harbinger  of  so  many  blessings  for  them 
and  their  posterity." 

The  energy  and  enterprise  of  Bishop  Dubourg  seemed 
to  expand  in  proportion  to  the  boundless  field  before 
him.  He  had  already  collected  around  him  fifty-three 
co-laborers  in  the  great  work  of  building  up  the  Chris- 
tian Church  in  the  immense  region  of  the  South-west. 
He  entered  now  upon  that  career  of  labor,  self-denial, 
hardship,  and  zeal,  that  made  the  wilderness  rejoice  in  the 
erection  of  temples  and  resound  with  the  praises  of  God, 
and  the  desert  bloom  with  the  flowers  of  religion  and 
become  fragrant  with  the  perfumes  of  virtue.  "  Bishop 
Dubourg,"  says  Archbishop  Spalding,*  "was  no  sooner 
known  than  he  was  universally  esteemed  and  beloved." 

9  Life  of  Bishop  Flaget,  175. 


-»24  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

With  his  characteristic  generosity,  he  consented  to  take 
charge  of  the  missions  of  Illinois  scattered  along  the 
eastern  borders  of  the  Mississippi,  though  within  the 
jurisdiction  of  Bishop  Flaget ;  and  he  offered  to  that  Pre- 
late the  services  of  four  of  his  priests,  Messrs.  Blanc  and 
Jeanjean  for  Vincennes,  and  Messrs.  Bertrand  and  Jan- 
vier for  Detroit.  Such  were  the  difficulties  of  his  posi- 
tion, growing  out  of  discontent  at  the  disturbance  of 
the  old  condition  of  things  at  New  Orleans,  to  which  his 
appointment  gave  rise,  that  he  considered  it  more  pru- 
dent for  the  present  to  locate  his  See  at  St.  Louis,  until 
circumstances  should  have  paved  the  way  for  his  re- 
moval to  the  former  city,  which,  in  the  mean  time,  he  vis- 
ited annually.  Some  conception  of  the  obstacles  he  en- 
countered, and  of  the  courage  with  which  he  met  them, 
may  be  formed  from  the  following  extract  from  a  letter 
he  addressed  to  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Faith: — "As  I  could  not  penetrate  into  the  capital  of 
Louisiana,  without  exposing  the  sacred  character  with 
which  I  was  invested,  I  thought  it  more  prudent  to  com- 
mence the  attack  at  those  points  of  my  diocese  which 
were  the  least  ably  defended ;  judging  that  here,  as  in  a 
citadel,  I  might  assemble  my  forces,  and  gradually  ob- 
taining possession  of  the  surrounding  country,  the 
strongest  place  would  ultimately  be  compelled  to  yield. 
For  this  reason,  the  vast  territory  of  Missouri  was  the  first 
theatre  of  our  labors ;  and  here  we  had  to  contend  with 
obstacles  of  every  kind — profound  ignorance  of  religion 
and  the  prejudices  arising  from  it,  universal  corruption, 
the  disregard  of  everything  like  principle,  absolute  pov- 
erty, not  having  whereon  to  lay  my  head,  and  more  than 
fifty  persons  dependent  on  me  for  support.  Retiring 
into  the  forest,  we  there  raised  with  our  own  hands  a 


Most  Rev.   William  Louis  Dubourg,  D.D.         225 

spacious  cabin  to  shelter  us  from  the  weather,  and  laid 
the  foundation  of  another  edifice." 

The  most  brilliant  and  fruitful  service  rendered  by 
Bishop  Dubourg  to  the  Church,  not  only  in  America, 
but  throughout  the. most  remote  and  unenlightened  por- 
tions of  the  world,  was  the  leading  part  he  took  in  found- 
ing the  illustrious  "Association  for  the  Propagation  of 
the  Faith."  It  has  been  well  said  that  "  the  establishment 
which  Mr.  Dubourg,  while  on  his  return  to  Louisiana 
from  Italy,  made  at  Lyons,  is  of  itself  enough  to  immor- 
talize his  name.  He  there  formed,  in  1815,  the  Associa- 
tion for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith.  This  single  in- 
stitution, which  conveys  benedictions  unnumbered  to 
millions,  and  which  daily  sounds  the  glad  tidings  of  a 
Saviour  to  those  who  are  seated  in  the  silence  of  death, 
becomes  a  monument  sufficient  to  eternize  the  memory 
of  Dubourg,  and  to  shed  a  full  ray  of  brightness  on  any 
college  associated  with  his  name."  * 

There  is  nothing  that  more  effectually  vindicates  the 
title  of  Catholic  for  the  Church  than  this  noble  institu- 
tion. Its  foundation  rests  in  those  words  of  divine  corn 
mand,  "  Go  teach  all  nations."  This  sentiment  has  per- 
vaded the  Church  in  all  ages,  but  the  opportunities  and 
means  of  developing  it  have  not  always  been  practicable 
or  possible.  As  an  actual  movement,  the  origin  of  the 
Association  was  obscure  and  humble ;  like  the  source  of 
a  mighty  river,  rising  and  flowing  feebly  and  quietly  at 
first  in  some  distant  and  lofty  mountain,  receiving,  as  it 
advances,  strength  and  volume  from  innumerable  small 
and  modest  tributaries  like  itself,  until  it  swells  into  the 
mighty  and  majestic  tide,  overpowering  every  obstacle, 
making  for  itself  a  channel  through  the  richest  meadows, 

*  '•  Our  Colleges,"  in  the  Metropolitan,  iv.  288. 


226  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

and  fertilizing  as  it  goes — the  medium  of  conveying  to 
remote  regions  the  richest  cargoes  and  most  precious 
productions.  The  motive  of  the  Crusades  was  not  only 
to  rescue  the  Holy  Sepulchre  from  the  hands  of  infidels, 
but  also  to  carry  the  faith  to  infidel  nations.  The  priest 
followed  always  in  the  footsteps  of  the  soldier,  to  repair  the 
wounds  he  made.  So,  too,  when  afterwards  the  improve- 
ments in  navigation  opened  both  the  Indies  to  the  Chris- 
tian world,  the  fleets  of  Portugal  and  Spain  never  sailed 
without  their  complements  of  pious  and  zealous  mission- 
aries to  announce  the  faith  to  nations  buried  in  ignorance, 
idolatry,  and  vice.  Their  conquests  were  hallowed  by 
solemn  treaties  for  extending  the  dominion  of  the  faith, 
and  churches  arose  in  Japan,  China,  and  America,  with 
their  bishoprics,  their  altars,  their  converts,  and  their 
martyrs.  Not  only  were  millions  of  natives  formed  into 
Christian  republics  in  South  America  and  the  Philippine 
Islands,  but  in  our  own  country  also  the  cross  was  erect- 
ed, and  the  chants  of  the  Church  resounded  from 
Quebec  and  Montreal,  through  the  valley  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, to  the  gulf-washed  shores  of  Louisiana  and  Texas. 
The  generous  treasures,  labors,  sweats,  and  blood  of 
Christendom  fertilized  these  fields,  but  no  organized 
body  existed  for  keeping  up  and  sustaining  the  steady 
current  of  divine  faith  and  salvation.  But  the  idea  of 
such  an  organization  had  long  existed.  In  1504,  twelve 
years  after  the  discovery  of  America  and  the  opening 
of  the  vast  missionary  fields  of  the  West,  an  envoy,  as 
it  were,  came  from  the  East ;  a  young  islander  of  Austra- 
lasia was  brought  to  France  by  the  navigator  Gonne- 
ville ;  he  received  a  Christian  education,  and  lost  the 
recollection  of  his  native  land  in  his  thorough  identifica- 
tion with  his  adopted  country.  A  great-grandson  of 


Most  Rev.  William  Louis  Dubourg,  P.D.         227 

this  Australasian  convert,  the  Abb6  Paulmeyer,  canon  of 
the  Cathedral  of  Bayeux,  moved  by  an  ardent  zeal  for 
the  salvation  of  the  race  from  which  he  had  sprung,  in 
1663  presented  to  Pope  Alexander  VII.  a  memorial 
concerning  the  establishment  of  a  mission  in  the  third 
World,  otherwise  called  the  Austral  Land,  in  which  he 
exposed  the  difficulties,  and  proposed  the  means  of  over- 
coming them,  and  laid  down  his  plan  of  the  undertaking. 
Modeling  his  proposed  association  for  the  propagation 
of  the  faith  upon  the  plan  of  the  Indian  companies,  he 
asked  the  unrestrained  co-operation  of  all,  even  of  the 
humblest  artisans  and  maid-servants,  under  the  guidance 
of  a  small  number  of  experienced  and  able  managers ; 
and  begged  the  blessing  of  the  Holy  Father  on  the 
work.  Though  nothing  was  done  for  an  age  afterwards, 
the  idea  was  not  extinct  in  the  Church,  for,  after  that  space 
of  time,  it  took  shape  in  the  formation  of  an  association 
of  prayers  and  good  works  for  the  salvation  of  infidels. 
The  interest- of  the  faithful  in  the  glorious  missions  was 
kept  alive  by  the  publication  of  the  Edifying  Letters  / 
but  the  French  Revolution  paralyzed  the  arms  and  hearts 
that  might  have  given  form  and  motion  to  the  thought. 
But  the  termination  of  that  scourge  seems  to  have  elicited 
a  fruitful  benediction;  for  the  blessing  which  the  Holy 
Father  Pius  VII.  bestowed  upon  the  city  of  Lyons, 
from  the  hill  of  Fouvieres,  conveyed  the  grace  that 
fructified  not  long  afterwards  in  the  formation  of  "  The 
Association  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith"  in  that 
same  noble  city. 

The  humble  beginning  of  this  grand  scheme  of  Chris 
tian  charity  was  now  at  hand.     Bishop  Dubourg  was  the 
humble  but  zealous  instrument  for  commencing  it.     Re- 
turning from   Rome,  after  his  consecration,  in   1815,  he 


228  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

spent  some  time  at  Lyons.  While  his  mind  was  filled 
with  the  contemplation  of  his  extended  diocese  and  its 
extreme  poverty,  his  eloquent  tongue  was  busy  in  appeal- 
ing to  the  generosity  of  the  Lyonese.  He  appealed  par- 
ticularly to  a  Christian  widow,  whom  he  had  known  in 
the  United  States,  and  communicated  to  her  his  plan  of 
forming  a  society  of  alms,  fixing  the  annual  subscription 
at  one  franc.  She  cordially  embraced  his  views,  and 
communicated  them  to  others ;  but  such  were  the  diffi- 
culties in  the  way,  that  she  was  obliged  to  confine  herself 
to  the  raising  of  alms  for  the  few  congregations  she 
adopted.  In  the  following  year,  the  directors  of  the 
Seminary  of  the  Foreign  Missions  at  Paris  revived  the 
union  of  prayers,  which  had  been  founded  in  the  previous 
century  for  the  salvation  of  the  infidels,  published  a  state- 
ment of  the  wants  of  their  churches,  and  obtained  indul- 
gences from  the  Holy  See.  Three  years  later  a  saintly 
young  woman  of  Lyons,  inspired  by  a  letter  she  received 
from  her  brother  in  the  College  of  St.  -Sulpice,  giving  a 
sad  account  of  the  destitute  condition  of  the  House  of 
the  Foreign  Missions,  and  suggesting  the  formation  of  a 
society  of  alms,  commenced  the  pious  organization,  and 
soon  it  numbered  a  thousand  members  ;  and  sent  its  first 
offering,  two  thousand  francs,  to  the  same  Orient  from 
which  the  sun  of  faith  first  spread  its  refulgent  rays  over 
the  West. 

In  the  mean  time  Bishop  Dubourg  was  informed  of  the 
progress  of  his  own  movement  by  his  faithful  correspond- 
ents, who  were  also  gaining  ground  in  the  noble  work.  In 
the  beginning  of  1822  they  were  visited  by  a  Vicar-Gen- 
eral of  Bishop  Dubourg,  whose  presence  animated  their 
zeal  and  confirmed  their  efforts.  Various  struggles  were 
thus  tending  to  direct  public  attention  to  this  important 


Most  Rev.  William  Louis  Dubourg,  D.D.       229 

work.  But  so  truly  Catholic  a  movement  could  not  con- 
sistently be  confined  to  the  aid  of  a  single  diocese;  in 
order  to  become  permanent  and  successful  it  must  be 
made  Catholic  or  Universal.  No  sooner  was  this  feature 
ingrafted  upon  the  original  society  of  Bishop  Dubourg, 
than  its  proportions  became  gigantic  and  its  efforts  unre- 
strained. The  receipts  for  the  first  year  were  15, 2 72  francs, 
and  soon  they  were  counted  by  millions.  It  spread  from 
city  to  city,  and  from  nation  to  nation,  and  its  benign 
influence  was  felt  in  the  remote  regions  of  the  earth. 
Pope  Gregory  XVI.  recommended  it  to  all  the  Churches, 
in  his  Encyclical  letter  of  1840,  and  it  became  one  of  the 
grandest  and  most  useful  institutions  of  Christendom. 
The  Catholic  heart  of  Bishop  Dubourg  rejoiced  in  the 
expansion  of  his  work,  and  he  thus  addressed  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Association:  "In  proposing  to  yourselves  a 
vast  sphere  for  the  exercise  of  your  zeal,  you  have  se- 
cured the  interest  and  support  of  all  who  are  animated 
with  the  love  of  God.  The  idea  of  carrying  the  flambeau 
of  religion  at  once  to  the  remotest  points  of  both  hemi- 
spheres, is  as  dazzling  to  the  imagination  as  it  is  influen- 
tial upon  the  heart.  What  conception  could  be  more 
truly  Catholic  than  this  ?  Who  that  has  any  piety,  even 
among  the  least  favored  of  fortune,  would  not  deem  it  an 
honor  and  a  pleasure  to  acquire,  at  so  trivial  a  sacrifice, 
the  glory  of  co-operation  in  this  noble  work  ? "  * 

One  of  Bishop  Dubourg's  earliest  efforts  in  his  diocese 
was  to  provide  a  Seminary  for  the  holy  ministry;  for, 
although  he  had  received  considerable  aid  in  ecclesiastical 
recruits  from  Europe,  especially  in  the  members  of  the 
Lazarist  Order,  whom  he  introduced  into  his  diocese, 
and  who  accompanied  him  from  Rome ;  he  resolved  not 

•  Annals  of  the  Propagatian  of  the  Faith,  yol.  i. 


230  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

to  rely  upon  aid  from  abroad  entirely,  but  to  provide  for 
a  priesthood  at  home.  He  accordingly  founded  his  Col- 
lege and  Seminary  at  the  Barrens  in  Missouri,  which  he 
placed  under  the  charge  of  the  Lazarist  Fathers,  and 
which  he  regarded  as  the  principal  support  of  his  diocese. 
With  energy  equal  to  any  amount  of  exertion,  he  shortly 
afterwards  founded  another  College  at  St.  Louis.  He 
applied  to  the  Jesuits  of  Maryland,  in  1825,  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  mission  of  their  Order  in  the  West,  with  the 
view  of  supplying  with  priests  the  Indian  missions 
acquired  by  us  with  the  cession  of  Louisiana  and  the 
South-western  territory.  The  Fathers  were  unable  to 
answer  his  demand  from  their  own  ranks,  but  seven 
young  Belgians,  who  were  in  the  Maryland  novitiate, 
went  out  under  the  direction  of  Fathers  Van  Quicken- 
borne  and  Timmerman,  and  founded  an  establishment 
at  Florrissant  from  which  they  subsequently  announced 
the  gospel  to  the  various  Indian  tribes  in  that  vast  region. 
Thus  was  commenced  the  Western  Province  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Jesus,  which  has  since  accomplished  so  much 
good  for  the  West.  Bishop  Dubourg  transferred  to 
their  charge  his  college  at  St.  Louis,  which,  under  their 
auspices,  has  grown  into  the  splendid  University  of  St. 
Louis.  Henrion  relates  that  Bishop  Dubourg  visited 
Washington  in  1823,  and  applied  to  the  Government  for 
annual  allowances  in  favor  of  the  Indian  missions  he  de- 
sired to  establish.  The  President  and  Secretary  of  War 
were  convinced  without  difficulty  that  Catholic  priests 
were  more  proper  for  the  Indians  than  Protestant  pas- 
tors. "  At  least,"  added  the  Secretary  of  War,  "  you 
ought  to  procure  Jesuits." — "  I  will  do  it,"  said  the  Pre- 
late ;  and  he  kept  his  word  by  securing,  as  above  relat- 
ed, the  introduction  of  the  Jesuits  into  the  West  and  the 


Most  Rev.  William  Louis  Dubourg,  D.D.       23 1 

transfer  of  the  Indian  Missions  to  their  care.  Bishop 
Dubourg  secured  on  this  occasion  from  the  Government 
the  sum  of  eight  hundred  dollars  for  his  missions. 
James  Monroe,  of  Virginia,  was  then  President,  and 
John  C.  Calhoun,  of  South  Carolina,  was  Secretary  of 
War. 

Education  in  the  Catholic  Church  ever  goes  hand  in 
hand  with  religion ;  hence  we  see  Bishop  Dubourg 
straining  every  nerve  to  erect  the  school-house  and  the 
church  together.  For  the  education  of  females  he  intro- 
duced the  Sisters  of  Loretto.  He  also,  shortly  after  his 
appointment  as  Bishop,  applied  to  the  Ladies  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  at  Paris,  and  obtained  five  members  of 
distinguished  merit,  who  accompanied  him  to  St.  Louis, 
and  afterwards  founded  a  convent  at  St.  Ferdinand, 
known  also  as  Florissant.  The  first  introduction  of  this 
inestimable  Order  into  the  United  States  is  due  to  Bishop 
Dubourg.  To  the  Ursulines  of  New  Orleans,  who  had 
been  established  there  a  century  before,  he  was  a  warm 
friend  and  benefactor.  While  in  France,  after  his  conse- 
cration, he  sought  postulants  for  their  Order,  and  in  Janu- 
ary, 1817,  nine  of  these  recruits  arrived  to  cheer  and 
encourage  the  community  at  New  Orleans.  These 
pious  ladies,  though  of  French  origin  and  affiliation,  be- 
came fully  identified  with  our  country  on  the  cession  of 
Louisiana  by  France;  and  though  they  suffered  many 
trials,  were  ever  untiring  and  zealous  in  their  holy  voca- 
tion. During  the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  while  our  brave 
soldiers  were  struggling  in  the  field,  these  good  Sisters 
were  besieging  Heaven  by  their  prayers  for  the  success 
of  our  arms.  They  placed  upon  their  altar  the  statue  of 
"  Our  Lady  of  Prompt  Succor,"  which  had  been  blessed 
for  Mother  Gensoul  in  France,  and  brought  by  her  to 


2.32  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

New  Orleans;  around  this  token  of  divine  favor  they 
supplicated  the  Almighty,  until  victory  declared  in  our 
favor.  When  the  victorious  army  returned  to  the  cit), 
the  generous  nuns  turned  their  school-rooms  into  a  hos- 
pital for  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers,  upon  whom  they 
lavished  every  care  for  several  months.  In  1824  they 
removed  to  their  new  convent,  three  miles  below  the 
city,  and  one  of  their  number,  an  aged  religious  who 
had  not  passed  out  of  her  cloister  since  her  entrance 
into  it  in  1766,  was  overcome  with  tears  as  she  accom- 
panied her  younger  sisters.  Bishop  Dubourg,  anxious 
for  their  success  and  permanence,  solicited  recruits  for 
their  house  from  Canada,  regarding  them  as  "the  base 
of  religion  in  Louisiana."  His  paternal  anxiety  is  elo- 
quently expressed  by  himself  in  his  letter  to  the  Bishop 
of  Quebec:  "The  house,  in  point  of  numbers,  might 
seem  now  to  give  no  cause  of  alarm;  but  when  I  con- 
sider the  age  of  the  ancient  pillars  of  that  edifice,  and 
that  at  the  moment,  perhaps  not  remote, '  of  their  fall, 
there  will  remain  only  feeble  reeds  to  replace  them,  1 
cannot  be  tranquil  as  to  the  consequences."  His  appeal 
was  successful,  and  he  soon  welcomed  at  New  Orleans 
three  of  the  most  experienced  and  efficient  members  of 
the  Order.  Their  history  has  been  one  of  prosperity  and 
usefulness  ever  since,  educating  both  rich  and  poor,  and 
providing  a  home  for  the  orphan.* 

In  addition  to  these  undertakings  and  the  heavy  ex- 
penditures consequent  upon  them,  Bishop  Dubourg's 
activity  and  zeal  were  laboring  and  doing  in  every  part 
of  his  diocese.  At  St.  Louis  he  acquired  a  comfortable 
mansion  for  the  Bishop  and  his  clergy,  and  erected  a 
new  cathedral.  He  erected  churches  at  various  points 

*  "  Our  Convents"  in  The  Metropolitan,  iv.  31. 


Most  Rev.  William  Louis  Dubourg,  D.D.       233 

and  stations  of  his  diocese,  and  provided  for  the  Indian 
missions.  His  personal  labors  were  immense ;  and  to 
these  he  added  the  missionary  duties  of  the  holy  min- 
istry, attending  to  the  wants  of  his  scattered  flock  in 
numerous  and  distant  stations,  and,  by  his  apostolic  la- 
bors and  zeal,  rendering  himself  "the  admiration  and 
example  of  his  people."  He  was  greatly  assisted  in  his 
many  noble  and  useful  undertakings  by  the  illustrious 
"  Association  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,"  of  which 
he  was  regarded  as  the  founder.  It  was  the  means  he 
received  from  this  source  that  enabled  him  to  accomplish 
so  much ;  and  he  could  point  to  the  forty  parishes  he  es- 
tablished along  the  Mississippi,  and  the  excellent  reli- 
gious and  educational  institutions  he  conducted,  as  the 
fruits  in  part  of  this  magnificent  charity. 

Heretofore  he  had  visited  New  Orleans  annually.  But 
his  wise  administration,  Christian  forbearance,  and  gen- 
erous conduct  wore  away  to  a  considerable  extent  the 
obstacles  to  his  permanent  residence  in  his  episcopal 
city.  Those  discontented  members  of  the  clergy  who 
had  raised  opposition  to  him  at  first,  now  surpassed  the 
most  zealous  of  the  faithful  in  desiring  his  presence.  In 
1823  he  considered  it  advisable  to  take  up  his  residence 
at  New  Orleans ;  but  in  doing  so  he  deemed  a  coadjutor 
Bishop  necessary  for  the  interests  of  religion  in  that  sec- 
tion, and  had  the  consolation,  March  25,  1824,  of  conse- 
crating as  his  coadjutor,  Right  Rev.  Joseph  Rosati.  At 
New  Orleans  he  continued  the  same  life  of  labor  and 
zeal  which  he  had  led  at  St.  Louis.  The  Ursuline  Con- 
vent, on  the  departure  of  the  inmates  for  their  new  home 
below  the  city,  became  his  episcopal  residence,  and  at 
the  same  time  a  college  :  the  latter  was  placed  under  the 
charge  of  the  Rev.  M.  Portier,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Mo- 


234  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

bile.  It  was  the  intention  of  Bishop  Dubourg  to  remove 
this  institution  to  the  parish  of  Lafourche,  where  he  in- 
tended also  to  erect  a  Seminary  on  a  grant  of  twelve 
hundred  acres  of  land  which  he  had  received  there.  Be- 
fore he  could  accomplish  this  cherished  purpose,  he  was 
translated  to  another  field  of  usefulness  and  honor. 

In  June,  1826,  Bishop  Dubourg  sailed  for  Europe  on 
business  for  his  diocese.  He  never  returned ;  for,  by  the 
mandate  of  the  Holy  See,  he  was  translated  from  the 
See  of  New  Orleans  to  that  of  Montauban,  in  France, 
and  became  successor  to  the  saintly  Bishop  Cheverus, 
who,  like  himself,  had  occupied  an  honorable  place  in  the 
American  Hierarchy.  Well  may  his  biographer  have 
said  that  he  left  "behind  him  such  an  amount  of  labor, 
so  many  splendid  monuments  of  his  enterprise  and  apos- 
tolic spirit,  that  we  follow  him  as  it  were  with  regret,  to 
another  theatre  of  his  zeal,  and  dwell  with  painful  emo- 
tions on  the  epoch  that  closed  his  brilliant  career  on  this 
side  of  the  Atlantic."  The  same  writer  says,  in  reference 
to  his  translation  to  Montauban:  "Were  we  to  par- 
ticularize the  circumstances  that  induced  him  to  leave 
this  country,  and  which  originated  in  the  hypocrisy  and 
treachery  of  the  malicious  Inglesi,  we  would  only  multi- 
ply the  reasons  that  compel  us  to  admire  his  eminent 
goodness  of  heart  and  disinterested  ardor  to  promote 
the  interests  of  religion.  However  remarkable  the  pru- 
dence, the  perseverance,  the  wisdom  of  a  Prelate,  the 
peculiar  character  of  those  around  him  will  sometimes 
render  it  expedient  for  the  welfare  of  his  flock  that  he 
should  place  the  government  of  his  diocese  in  other 
hands.  It  was  with  such  motives  that  Bishop  Dubourg 
accepted  an  appointment  in  Europe,  which,  in  evidencing 
the  lofty  esteem  entertained  for  him  abroad,  cont1 


Most  Rev.  William  Louis  Duboutg,  D.D.       235 

to  reflect  a  high  honor  upon  the  American  episcopacy."* 
In  a  letter  which  he  addressed  to  the  Ami  de  la  Religion 
of  Paris,  after  stating  that  it  was  not  his  health  that 
caused  him  to  resign,  he  thus  writes  on  the  same  sub- 
ject:— "The  motives,  then,  of  my  resignation  are  of  a 
higher  order;  and  they  were  presented  to  the  Holy  See, 
to  which  they  appeared  so  just,  that  His  Holiness  the 
Pope  did  not  hesitate  a  moment,  when  they  were  sub 
mitted  to  him,  to  dissolve  the  sacred  ties  that  bound  me 
to  that  important  but  laborious  mission.  But  in  ceasing 
to  be  the  head  of.it,  I  have  not  ceased  to  feel  the  most 
tender  solicitude  for  it:  what  do  I  say? — it  is  that  solici- 
tude which  forced  me  to  leave  it,  inasmuch  that  on  the 
one  hand  it  was  evident  my  presence  there  would  .be 
more  prejudicial  than  useful,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  I 
did  flatter  myself  to  be  able  from  Europe  to  render  that 
mission  more  important  services."! 

How  strikingly  a  diocese  in  France  contrasted  with 
one  in  the  United  States,  especially  such  a  diocese  as 
Louisiana  was  in  1826,  is  illustrated  in  this  instance.  We 
have  seen  how  poor,  how  scattered,  and  how  laborious 
was  the  Church  of  Louisiana,  where  everything  had  to 
be  created.  But  at  Montauban  there  was  a  Catholic 
population  of  242,000  souls,  attended  by  three  hundred 
and  fifty-three  priests ;  there  were  seminaries  containing 
two  hundred  and  six  ecclesiastical  students;  there  his 
eye  rested  upon  splendid  churches,  well-endowed  insti- 
tutions of  many  of  the  religious  orders,  both  male  and 
female,  and  numerous  schools  of  every  grade.  He  saw 
on  every  side  cause  for  consolation.  To  one  accustomed 
to  the  difficult  and  embarrassing  duties  of  an  American 

*   Catholic  Almanac,  1839,  p.  63. 
\  Charleston  Miscellany,  1826,  p.  87. 


236  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

diocese,  that  of  Montauban  was  like  a  reward  for  his  past 
labors  and  sacrifices.  Yet  the  revolution  of  1830  tested 
well  the  zeal  and  courage  of  the  Bishop  of  Montauban. 
He  defended  with  undaunted  firmness  the  cause  of  reli- 
gion and  the  rights  of  his  clergy.  His  firmness  caused 
the  municipal  and  departmental  authorities,  and  even  the 
ministers  of  Louis  Philippe,  to  whom  he  appealed  on  two 
remarkable  occasions,  to  respect  the  rights  of  conscience 
and  the  practices  of  the  Church,  and  to  protect  the  in- 
habitants of  Montauban,  while  so  many  other  cities  were 
left  to  the  violence  of  the  times.  He  averted  from  his 
flock  a  repetition  of  the  impieties  that  had  been  wit- 
nessed at  Paris.  Yet  such  were  his  prudence  and  mod- 
eration, that  he  was  respected  and  esteemed  by  all 
parties.  He  was  the  true  pastor  of  his  flock. 

In  February,  1833,  he  was  appointed  Archbishop  of 
Besanyon,  being  the  successor  of  Cardinal  de  Rohan. 
His  feeble  health  compelled  him  to  seek  relief  in  the  waters 
of  Luxeuil,  but  without  success.  He  was  installed  at 
Besanyon,  October  10,  1833.  His  beautiful  pastoral, 
issued  on  taking  leave  of  Montauban,  shows  that  the 
faculties  of  his  mind  and  the  impulses  of  his  heart  were 
not  impaired  by  the  disease  that  enfeebled  his  body. 
His  touching  allusion  to  the  Church  of  Louisiana  will  be 
chiefly  interesting  to  readers  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic : 
— "  Churches  of  Louisiana  and  Montauban,  the  holy  al- 
liance is  broken  that  successively  identified  my  existence 
with  yours.  But  the  bonds  of  paternity  are  not  loosed ;  it 
shall  always  be  true  that  I  have  been  your  spouse,  and 
your  children  have  been  mine.  Your  prosperity  and 
theirs  shall  therefore  be  the  object  of  my  most  ardent 
prayers,  and  an  exhaustless  source  of  joy  to  my  heart. 
Louisiana  and  Montauban,  beloved  names !  I  unite  you 


Most  Rev.  William  Louis  Duboiirg,  D.D.       237 

together  in  this  effusion  of  my  heart,  because  you  were 
never  separate  in  my  affections.  In  passing  from  one  to 
the  other,  I  felt  that  no  change  had  taken  place  in  my 
first  love ;  that  the  sphere  of  my  affections  was  only  en- 
larged ;  and  I  have  become  sensible  how  a  father  may 
experience  all  the  force  of  parental  tenderness  for  the 
last  scions  of  his  old  age,  without  diminishing  the  love 
he  had  for  his  first  born." 

During  his  brief  career  as  Archbishop  he  procured 
two  pastoral  retreats  for  his  numerous  clergy,  amounting 
to  about  nine  hundred  priests,  and  with  an  ardent  desire 
to  be  with  them,  his  health  allowed  him  only  once  to 
unite  in  their  devotions.  On  the  first  of  November  he 
received  the  Pallium  from  the  hands  of  Bishop  Porcet, 
of  Langres.  From  his  bed  of  sickness  he  united  in 
spirit  with  his  flock  and  its  pastors,  in  the  jubilee,  and 
requested  his  attendants  to  suggest  to  him  such  thoughts 
and  affections  as  were  suited  to  his  suffering  condition. 
His  last  days  were  characterized  by  the  noblest  and 
most  unaffected  Christian  virtues.  His  humility,  charity, 
and  reliance  upon  the  mercy  of  God,  struck  all  with  ad- 
miration. The  allusions  of  his  attendants  to  his  past 
life  of  usefulness  as  a  motive  for  confidence,  only  inspired 
him  with  fear  and  diffidence.  To  those  who  approached 
his  bedside  he  gave  mementoes,  and  for  each  he  had  a 
blessing.  He  gave  every  direction  for  his  own  funeral 
with  calmness  and  serenity,  cautioning  his  friends  against 
unnecessary  ostentation  and  lavishness.  In  sentiments 
of  tenderest  piety,  love,  and  adoration,  he  breathed  his 
last,  December  12,  1833,  in  the  sixty-fifth  year  of  his 
age.  On  the  I4th  he  was  interred  with  ecclesiastical 
and  civil  honors,  amid  the  praises  and  prayers  of  all. 

His  character  is  written  in  his  deeds,'  his  labors,  and  his 


238  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

services.  In  the  accomplishments  of  the  intellect,  and 
the  graces  of  the  soul,  few  men  were  his  superiors.  His 
piety  was  of  the  tenderest  kind  ;  his  labors,  though  ex- 
traordinary, were  modest.  To  forgive,  forbear,  and  to 
excuse,  seemed  a  pleasure  to  him.  His  remarkable  elo- 
quence was  inspired  by  a  brilliant  imagination,  a  cultivat- 
ed mind,  a  generous  heart,  and  a  devout  soul.  His  tal- 
ent for  administration  and  enterprise  was  extraordinary ; 
his  fame  is  spread  over  two  continents ;  but  in  the  American 
Church  his  memory  should  ever  be  held  in  veneration 
and  gratitude,  and  his  name  cherished  as  that  of  one 
of  the  most  illustrious  ornaments  of  our  Hierarchy. 


MOST   REV.   AMBROSE   MAR^CHAL,  D.D., 

Third  Archbishop  of  Baltimore,  A.D.  1817.* 

THE  subject  of  this  memoir  was  one  of  that  numerous 
and  heroic  band  of  zealous  and  able  French  clergy  whom 
the  convulsions  of  the  French  revolution,  at  the  close 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  expelled  from  their  native 
country  and  cast  upon  the  shores  of  America.  While 
republican  France  cast  them  off  as  obstacles  to  the  de 
velopment  of  the  new  ideas  of  liberty  and  self-govern- 
ment, in  whose  names  so  many  innocent  and  noble  victims 
were  sacrificed  in  that  fair  land,  the  transatlantic  repub- 
lic received  them  with  joy,  and  found  in  them  some  of 
her  best  and  most  useful  citizens,  and  sincere  friends  of 
that  more  rational  and  stable  liberty  which  in  the  new 
world  was  based  upon  an  organic  law  that  endeavored 
to  combine  at  once  liberty  and  order,  self-government 
and  obedience.  It  was  also  to  such  men  as  Marshal, 
Cheverus,  Flaget,  David,  Dubois,  Brute,  Nagot,  Tessier, 
Badin,  and  others,  that  the  infant  Church  of  America 
owed  in  a  great  measure  the  progress  of  the  faith  in 
these  States.  Their  names  will  long  be  held  in  venera- 
tion and  gratitude. 

Ambrose  Marechal  was  born  at  Ingre,  near  Orleans, 
France,  in  1768,  of  parents  who  enjoyed  the  advantages 
of  high  respectability  and  social  position.  They  provided 
for  their  son  the  training  and  cultivation  of  a  finished  edu- 
cation in  one  of  the  best  colleges  in  France,  where  he 

*  Authorities:     Catholic  Almanac,    1836;   Catholic  Magazine,     1845;    Catholic 
Miscellany  ;  De  Courcey  and  Shea's  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States,  etc.,  etc. 


240  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

completed  his  studies  with  credit  and  distinction.  In  his 
earliest  youth  he  was  remarkable  for  piety  and  religious 
devotion,  and  he  manifested  an  ardent  desire  to  devote 
himself  to  the  holy  ministry.  His  parents,  however,  with 
that  mistaken  ambition  which  imagines  that  those  pursuits 
and  positions  that  are  esteemed  and  honored  in  the  world 
are  to  be  preferred  to  the  ministry  of  the  Most  High,  des- 
tined him  for  the  bar.  In  deference  to  their  wishes  he 
devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  civil  law,  well  knowing 
that  the  time  would  come  when  the  higher  and  holier  as- 
pirations of  his  soul  would  be  satisfied,  without  inflicting 
pain  or  disappointment  upon  his  beloved  parents.  His 
course  of  law  was  accomplished  with  that  success  and 
thoroughness  which  characterized  all  he  undertook.  His 
mind  thus  became  stored  with  a  vast  amount  of  useful 
learning,  which  contributed  to  qualify  him  so  eminently 
for  the  high  and  important  position  he  was  afterwards 
called  to  fill.  These  studies,  however,  and  the  attrac- 
tions which  the  world  presents  at  this  period  of  life  to 
the  imaginations  and  hopes  of  the  young  and  ardent, 
did  not  divert  his  desires  from  the  first  and  holiest  choice 
of  his  heart.  He  regarded  these  yearnings  of  his  soul 
for  the  altar  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  men,  which  no 
circumstances  could  repress,  as  the  voice  of  his  Creator, 
and  he  determined  to  obey  the  call.  It  was  with  evident 
pleasure  that  the  venerable  Prelate  in  after  life  spoke  of 
the  manifest  and  irresistible  vocation  which  he  received 
from  Heaven  to  sever  the  ties  of  natural  affection  and 
social  life,  and  to  abandon  all  things  in  order  to  take  up 
the  cross  and  follow  the  lowly  Jesus.  The  pursuit  of  the 
holy  ministry  at  that  time  in  France  was  truly  the  way 
of  the  cross.  The  terrific  shock  of  the  French  Revolu- 
tion had  broken  asunder  the  safeguards  of  government 


Most  Rev.  Ambrose  Marechal,  D.D.  241 

and  law,  and  had  shaken  society  to  its  very  foundations. 
The  wildest  destruction  was  the  favorite  work  of  the 
hour ;  and  after  all  the  ancient  landmarks  had  been  de- 
stroyed, it  became  the  taste  of  each  day  to  demolish  what 
had  been  done  on  the  preceding  one,  and  to  substitute 
something  more  radical  in  its  place.  Violence,  anarchy, 
and  disorder  reigned  supreme ;  licentiousness  and  vice 
were  universal.  The  hereditary  sovereign  had  been  sac- 
rificed to  popular  fury.  The  caprice  of  an  assembly  of 
petty  tyrants  became  the  unsparing  law  of  the  moment ; 
religion  was  trampled  under  foot,  and  her  ministers 
hunted  down  and  massacred ;  France,  for  the  time,  be- 
came a  pandemonium.  It  was  under  such  circumstances 
that  the  young  Marechal  sought  the  investiture  of  the 
Catholic  priesthood.  He  had  entered  the  Sulpitian 
Seminary  at  Orleans  as  a  theological  student,  and  was 
now  prepared  for  ordination.  Leaving  Paris  in  disguise, 
he  was  ordained  at  Bordeaux,  and  on  the  same  day,  at 
the  imminent  risk  of  detection,  incarceration,  and  death, 
succeeded  in  embarking  for  America  in  company  with 
the  Abb6s  Matignon,  Richard,  and  Ciquard,  and  arrived 
safely  at  Baltimore,  June  24,  1792.  He  offered  then  for 
the  first  time  on  a  foreign  shore  that  holy  sacrifice  which 
he  was  ruthlessly  prevented  from  offering  in  the  shrines 
of  his  own  native  and  Catholic  France. 

The  first  design  of  the  Superior  of  the  Sulpitian  Or- 
der, of  which  Mr.  Marechal  was  a  member,  was  to  estab- 
lish under  his  direction  an  Academy  at  Baltimore  for  the 
instruction  of  youth  in  mathematics.  This  purpose  was 
suspended  for  a  time,  and  Mr.  Marechal  entered  upon 
active  missionary  duties,  first  at  St.  Mary's  County  and 
subsequently  at  Bohemia,  on  the  Eastern  shore,  Mary- 
land ;  at  both  of  which  places  he  labored  zealously  and 
16 


242  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

effectively  for  the  good  of  souls,  and  edified  all  by  his 
pure  and  patient  example,  and  won  their  hearts  by  his 
amiable  and  courteous  deportment. 

In  the  mean  time  St.  Mary's  College  had  been  estab- 
lished by  his  Order  at  Baltimore,  and  in  1799  he  was 
summoned  by  his  superiors  to  assume  the  position  of 
Professor  of  Theology  in  the  infant  Seminary.  The  con- 
ductors of  Georgetown  College  secured  his  valuable  ser- 
vices as  Professor  of  Philosophy  in  that  institution  for 
several  months,  after  which  he  returned  to  Baltimore 
and  resumed  his  class  of  theology  at  St.  Mary's.  The 
ability  with  which  he  discharged  his  duties  in  the  chair 
of  theology  won  for  him  great  applause,  both  from  his 
superiors  and  from  his  pupils.  It  was  often  remarked 
that  he  invested  that  profound  science  with  a  peculiar 
charm,  and  presented  it  to  the  hearts  as  well  as  to  the 
minds  of  the  youthful  candidates  for  the  sacred  ministry, 
as  the  reflection  of  divine  wisdom,  and  the  mirror  of  the 
divine  attributes. 

The  restoration  of  order  in  France,  under  Napoleon, 
gave  an  immediate  and  reviving  impulse  to  religion 
there.  Availing  themselves  of  the  improvement  which 
had  taken  place  in  that  afflicted  country,  some  of  the  de- 
voted French  clergy,  who  had  been  torn  by  the  Revolu- 
tion from  their  altars  and  their  flocks,  now  returned  to 
carry  the  consolations  of  religion  to  thousands  who 
had  long  been  deprived  of  them.  The  venerable  Order 
of  St.  Sulpice  was  among  the  first  to  labor  for  the  re- 
vival of  religion  in  France.  The  restoration  of  their 
colleges  and  seminaries  constituted  a  prominent  feature 
of  this  great  Christian  work.  As  a  member  of  that  Or- 
der, Mr.  Marechal  was  recalled  to  his  native  country  by 
his  superiors  in  1803.  He  was  employed  in  posts  of 


Most  Rev.  Ambrose  Marechal,  D.D.          243 

great  responsibility  and  labor  in  several  of  these  eccle- 
siastical institutions,  and  especially  in  those  of  St.  Flour, 
Lyons,  and  Aix.  A  writer  thus  alludes  to  his  services  in 
France  : — "  In  what  esteem  and  veneration  he  was  held 
by  those  who  pursued  their  studies  under  his  direction, 
was  abundantly  shown  by  the  munificence  of  his  theo- 
logical pupils  at  Marseilles,  who,  soon  after  his  elevation 
to  the  Archiepiscopal  dignity,  presented  him,  as  a  testi- 
mony of  their  gratitude  and  respect,  with  the  rich  *  and 
magnificent  marble  altar  that  now  stands  in  the  Metro- 
politan Church  at  Baltimore.  It  bears  the  following  in- 
scription, which  makes  it  known  as  a  monument  of  their 
grateful  and  liberal  feeling,  and  of  the  high  regard  which 
they  entertained  for  the  talents  and  virtues  of  their  dis- 
tinguished professor : — 

<  Hoc  Altare 
a  Massiliensibus  Sacerdotibus 

Amb°-  Archiep0-  BaltL 
Eorum  in  Sacra  Theologia  olim, 

Professori 

grate  oblatum 

ipse  Deo  Salvatori  in  honorem  ejus 

Sanctissimae  Matris 
Consecravit  die  31*  Maii,  1821.'  "* 

The  urgent  necessity  which  carried  him  to  France  hav- 
ing been  in  a  great  measure  satisfied,  the  claims  of  the 
American  Church  upon  his  zeal  now  began  to  revive. 
Numerous  were  the  appeals  he  received  from  his  former 
friends  in  America  to  return  to  them,  and  to  bestow  his 
valuable  services  upon  the  Church  in  this  country.  At 
the  earliest  practicable  moment,  which  he  found  in  the 
withdrawal  by  the  Imperial  Government  of  France  of 

*  The  Catholic  Almanac,  1836. 


244  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

their  seminaries  and  colleges  from  the  Sulpitians  in  1812, 
he  responded  to  these  affectionate  calls.  His  arrival  in 
Baltimore,  in  that  year,  was  hailed  with  joy  by  the  ec- 
clesiastical authorities  and  laity  of  that  city  and  diocese. 
He  resumed  his  former  post  in  the  chair  of  theology, 
and  also  discharged,  for  a  time,  the  duties  of  President 
at  St.  Mary's  College.  A  life  of  study  was  most  agreeable 
to  his  tastes,  and  gladly  would  he  have  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  in  preparing  young  Levites  for  the 
sacred  ministry.  Not  long  after  his  return  he  was 
nominated  by  Rome  as  the  Bishop  of  Philadelphia.  His 
humm'ty  and  ardent  desire  to  promote  the  interests  of 
the  Church,  by  preparing  for  her  sanctuary  a  learned  and 
pious  priesthood,  caused  him  to  adduce  every  possible 
reason  in  favor  of  his  being  excused  from  accepting  so 
exalted  and  responsible  an  office.  To  his  great  joy  he 
was  excused,  but  it  was  only  to  encounter  a  far  more 
formidable  appointment. 

The  increasing  feebleness  of  Archbishop  Neale's  health 
had  induced  him  to  apply  to  Rome  for  the  appointment 
of  a  coadjutor  Bishop.  Bishop  Cheverus  of  Boston 
was  named  for  this  position,  but  he  used  his  earnest  en- 
treaties to  be  allowed  to  remain  at  Boston,  and  he  sug- 
gested the  name  of  Mr.  Mar6chal  as  the  most  suitable 
person  for  the  See  of  Baltimore.  Archbishop  Neale  ac- 
quiesced in  the  suggestion,  and  at  his  request  Rome  ap- 
proved and  made  the  appointment.  On  hearing  of  this 
decision,  Bishop  Cheverus  wrote  to  Rome  :  "  I  shall  re- 
joice to  see  Mr.  Marshal  performing  the  Episcopal  func- 
tions at  Baltimore,  where  he  and  his  brethren  of  St.  Sul- 
pice  have  been  the  masters  and  models  of  the  clergy,  and 
have  conciliated  universal  regard." 

Pope  Pius  VII.,  by  his  brief  of  July  24,  1817,  appointe  1 


Most  Rev.  Ambrose  Marechal,  D.D.          245 

Mr.  Marechal  coadjutor  to  the  Archbishop  of  Baltimore, 
with  the  title  of  Bishop  of  Stauropolis.  Dr.  Marechal,  in 
this  as  in  the  previous  instance,  made  every  effort  to 
be  relieved  from  this  high  and  responsible  office.  He 
finally  asked  for  a  respite  in  order  that  he  might  com- 
plete an  important  work,  in  which  he  proposed  to  adapt 
the  course  of  theology  to  the  state  of  this  country.  His 
entreaties  were  in  vain;  his  own  superiors  united  with 
the  voice  of  the  Church  in  exacting  submission  on  his 
part.  In  the  mean  time  the  venerable  Archbishop  Neale 
had  departed  this  life,  and  five  months  after  his  death, 
November  10,  1817,  the  briefs  containing  the  appoint- 
ment of  Dr.  Marechal  as  Archbishop  of  Baltimore  ar- 
rived. He  was  consecrated  at  Baltimore  by  Bishop 
Cheverus,  December  14,  1817. 

The  new  Archbishop  entered  at  once  upon  an  active 
and  energetic  discharge  of  the  arduous  duties  of  his  ex- 
alted station.  The  following  notice  of  the  early  part  of 
his  administration,  and  of  the  manner  in  which  he  car- 
ried the  American  Church  through  the  crisis  which  then 
presented  itself,  is  from  the  biography  of  Archbishop 
Marechal  in  the  Catholic  Almanac:  "No  sooner  had 
Mr.  Marechal  received  the  Episcopal  consecration,  than 
he  devoted  his  most  earnest  attention  to  the  affairs  of 
his  diocese.  How  far  he  realized  the  expectations  of  the 
public ;  what  he  accomplished  for  the  cause  of  religion ; 
how  effectually  he  contributed  to  promote  that  candid 
and  conciliatory  spirit  which  is  the  characteristic  of 
Christianity ;  what  an  ardent  zeal  he  manifested  for  the 
welfare  of  the  flock  that  had  been  committed  to  his 
charge,  are  sufficiently  known  to  the  Catholic  community, 
and  will  ever  be  remembered  with  feelings  of  the  liveliest 
gratitude.  A  few  incidents,  however,  in  which  he  ex- 


246  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

hibited  the  excellent  qualities  of  his  mind  and  heart,  can- 
not be  omitted  from  the  present  notice.  Shortly  after  his 
election  to  the  Episcopacy,  he  had  to  contend  with  the* 
difficulties  which  are  the  most  painful  to  those  invested 
with  ecclesiastical  authority.  Disturbances  had  arisen 
in  certain  parts  of  the  extensive  territory  subject  to  his 
jurisdiction,  which  presented  rather  a  fearful  aspect,  and 
threatened  the  American  Church  with  the  distressing 
evils  that  invariably  flow  from  a  spirit  of  faction  and  in- 
subordination. With  an  affected  zeal  for  the  cause  of  re- 
ligion, a  few  individuals,  having  usurped  a  power  which 
belonged  solely  to  the  legitimate  Bishop  of  the  diocese, 
endeavored  to  wrest  a  portion  of  the  Church  from  the 
authority  of  its  lawful  pastors.  In  these  trying  circum- 
stances, Archbishop  Marechal  evinced  that  zeal,  that 
wisdom,  that  prudence,  that  attachment  for  his  flock,  that 
firm  adherence  to  true  principles,  which  have  always 
distinguished  the  most  eminent  Prelates,  and  which,  for- 
tunately for  the  cause  of  religion  in  this  country,  proved 
effectual  in  arresting  the  progress  of  the  schism.  We 
cannot  read  the  pastoral  letter  which  he  addressed  to 
the  faithful  on  this  subject,  in  the  year  1819,  without 
admiring  the  learning,  the  wisdom,  and  the  apostolical 
spirit  with  which  it  abounds.  It  is  an  invaluable  docu- 
ment for  the  clergy  as  well  as  for  the  laity.  While  it 
places  before  the  latter  a  clear  and  precise  exposition  of 
their  duties  and  their  utter  disqualification  to  interfere  in 
the  spiritual  government  of  the  Church,  it  points  out  to 
the  former  the  awful  calamities  that  religion  may  suffer 
from  their  infidelity  in  the  discharge  of  those  obligations 
which  have  been  imposed  on  them  by  the  sacerdotal 
character. 

"After  having  established,  by  the  most  solid  reasoning, 


Most  Rev.  Ambrose  Marechal,  D.D.          247 

the  exclusive  right  of  the  Episcopal  authority  to  appoint 
clergymen  for  the  exercise  of  the  holy  ministry,  and  al- 
luded to  the  fatal  consequences  of  resistance  to  the  le- 
gitimate pastor,  he  adds :  '  We  have  frequently  blessed 
Divine  Providence  that  we  live  under  a  free  and  just 
government.  But  we  never  felt  the  advantage  more 
strongly  than  in  this  conjuncture.  For  were  we  under  an 
absolute  one,  and  these  impious  men  could  induce  its 
ministers  to  support  their  measures,  the  Catholic 
Bishops  of  the  United  States  would  soon  be  thrown 
into  dungeons,  and  their  flocks  dispersed,  unless  they 
submitted  to  their  abominable  new-fangled  canon  laws. 
The  general  features  of  their  writings  exhibit  persecu- 
tion under  its  most  hideous  and  fearful  forms.  But  let 
them  remember  that  her  shafts  in  this  country  are 
blunted  and  shivered  on  the  aegis  of  American  liberty, 
and  fall  harmless  at  the  feet  of  their  intended  victims.' 
He  then  proceeds  to  console  the  faithful  upon  the  afflic- 
tions which  had  befallen  them,  and  reminds  them  of  the 
course  they  should  pursue  to  effect  a  better  state  of 
things.  His  instructions  on  this  subject  may  be  very 
usefully  practised  at  all  times. 

" '  In  those  great  calamities  which  have  afflicted  some 
portions  of  the  Church  in  every  age,  God  displays  His 
awful  justice  by  delivering  up  to  a  reprobate  sense  the 
wicked,  who,  in  the  bosom  of  His  true  religion,  abused 
the  means  of  salvation  He  had  offered  them;  and  His 
infinite  mercy  towards  the  elect,  by  affording  them  an 
opportunity  of  continually  multiplying  their  merits  by 
frequent  acts  of  Christian  humility,  patience,  fortitude, 
and  charity.' 

'"In  the  midst  of  the  troubles  and  persecutions  to 
which  you  are  now,  or  may  hereafter  be  exposed,  be 


248  Lives  cf  the  Catholic  Bishops, 

careful,  after  the  example  of  the  saints,  dearest  Brethren, 
daily  to  entreat  your  Heavenly  Father  to  take  under  His 
protection  yourselves,  your  families,  your  friends,  your 
pastors,  and  all  the  Catholics  of  the  United  States.  The 
Church  of  Christ  in  this  country  is  now  in  affliction.  Dis- 
sensions and  scandals  threaten  to  destroy  her  peace  and 
happiness.  As  for  you,  dear  Brethren,  strive  to  console 
her  by  every  possible  mark  of  respect,  attachment,  obe- 
dience, and  love.  For  though  surrounded  with  difficulties, 
though  ever  attacked  by  some  unnatural  children,  still 
she  is  your  mother,  your  protectress,  your  guide  upon 
earth,  and  the  organ  by  which  Divine  Mercy  communi- 
cates to  you  the  treasure  of  His  grace  and  all  the  means 
of  salvation.' 

"  Such  were  the  sentiments  that  animated  this  truly 
apostolic  Prelate.  Such  was  the  confidence  which  he  re- 
posed in  the  assistance  of  God,  on  whose  promises  to 
the  Church  he  relied  for  the  prosperity  of  religion,  and 
for  the  crown  of  immortality  that  could  repay  his  zealous 
efforts  in  so  sacred  a  cause. 

"  During  these  troubles,  Archbishop  Marechal  received 
the  most  flattering  marks  of  esteem  and  kindness  from 
the  Sovereign  Pontiff,  who  confided  entirely  in  his  wis- 
dom and  discretion,  and  sent  him  the  Pallium,  which  is 
the  greatest  mark  of  distinction  that  can  be  conferred  on 
a  Prelate.  In  the  space  of  two  or  three  years  he  had 
the  consolation  of  witnessing  the  happy  effects  of  his 
wise  administration." 

The  Cathedral  of  Baltimore,  the  corner-stone  of  which 
had  been  laid  by  Archbishop  Carroll,  July  7,  1806,  was 
brought  to  a  state  of  readiness  for  public  worship  under 
Archbishop  Marechal.  The  walls  of  the  cathedral  had 
for  years  stood  only  a  few  feet  above  the  surface  of  the 


Most  Rev.  Ambrose  Marechal^  D.D.          249 

ground  when  Archbishop  Marechal  took  the  work  in 
hand,  and  pressed  it  forward  till  the  Divine  .mysteries 
were  offered  on  its  altars.  In  this  undertaking  he  was 
chiefly  aided  by  the  Rev.  Enoch  Fenwick,  whose  name 
was  long  held  in  gratitude  and  veneration  at  Baltimore. 
On  the  thirty-first  of  May,  1821,  the  imposing  edifice  was 
dedicated  with  due  solemnity  to  the  service  of  Almighty 
God,  by  Archbishop  Marechal,  assisted  by  the  Bishops  of 
Boston  and  Philadelphia.  Not  only  was  the  fine  altar  that 
graces  this  noble  temple  a  present  to  Archbishop  Mare- 
chal from  his  friends  in  Europe,  but  the  two  large  paintings 
which  adorn  its  walls,  and  which  are  considered  master- 
pieces of  art,  and  other  fine  paintings  hanging  in  the 
cathedral,  were  sent  as  presents  to  him  by  high  dignitaries 
in  Europe,  by  whom  he  was  held  in  the  highest  esteem. 

In  October,  1821,  the  Archbishop  visited  Rome  on 
business  for  his  diocese.  His  love  and  solicitude  for  his 
flock  found  frequent  and  warm  expression  in  the  letters 
which  he  addressed  to  them  from  the  Eternal  City. 
There,  no  less  than  at  the  courts  of  worldly  princes,  he 
was  received  with  profound  respect  and  veneration,  and 
received  many  tributes  to  his  great  piety  and  learning. 
On  his  return  he  was  received  by  his  flock  with  every 
mark  of  filial  affection  and  deep  respect.  They  who  en- 
joyed the  benign  influence  of  his  example,  the  safe 
guidance  of  his  wise  and  learned  counsels,  and  witnessed 
his  efforts  to  promote  the  interests  of  the  American 
Church  at  home,  felt  a  commendable  and  honorable 
pride  in  seeing  that  Church  represented  abroad  by  so 
eminent  and  honored  a  Prelate. 

Though  by  habit  and  taste  a  student,  and  fond  of  re- 
tirement, Archbishop  Marechal  never  allowed  these  in- 
clinations to  withdraw  him  from  the  active  and  zealous 


250  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

discharge  of  his  high  and  laborious  functions.  His  visit 
to  Rome  in  1821,  his  journey  to  Canada  in  1826,  in  the 
interests  of  the  Church,  and  other  arduous  travels  in 
those  days,  when  the  conveniences  of  railroad  and  steam- 
boat locomotion  were  not  enjoyed,  prove  the  vigilance 
and  energy  with  which  he  gave  his  life  and  services  to 
the  cause  of  religion. 

After  his  return  from  Canada  in  1826,  he  visited  Em- 
mittsburg,  Maryland,  where  he  perceived  the  first  symp- 
toms of  the  painful  and  distressing  disease,  dropsy  of 
the  chest,  which  afterwards  terminated  his  life.  After 
receiving  this  warning,  he  applied  to  the  Holy  See  for 
the  appointment  of  a  coadjutor  Bishop,  to  assist  him  in 
his  labors  and  succeed  him  in  the  archiepiscopal  chair, 
and  sent  three  names  as  worthy  of  this  distinction, 
amongst  which  was  that  of  his  successor,  the  Most  Rev. 
James  Whitfield.  In  the  mean  time  he  continued  to 
discharge  his  arduous  duties,  notwithstanding  the  pro- 
gress of  his  disease,  for  more  than  a  year  afterwards. 
He  bore  his  sufferings  with  remarkable  patience  and 
resignation,  and  saw  the  approach  of  death  with  perfect 
composure  and  peace  of  mind.  The  appointment  of  a 
coadjutor  did  not  arrive  till  after  his  death.  With  resig- 
nation to  the  will  of  God,  and  with  a  heart  overflowing 
with  charity  for  men,  he  expired  January  29,  1828. 

Universal  and  heartfelt  were  the  honor  paid  to  his 
memory,  and  the  respect  exhibited  for  his  mortal  re- 
mains, as  they  were  borne  in  solemn  procession  from  old 
St.  Peter's  Church  for  interment  in  the  cathedral,  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1828.  Ecclesiastics  and  religious  from  various 
parts  of  the  country  came  to  pay  him  the  last  sad 
honors ;  the  widows  and  the  orphans,  persons  of  every 
condition  in  life,  and  numerous  organized  societies,  unite  1 


Most  Rev.  Ambrose  Marechal,  D.D.  251 

in  the  procession  that  followed  the  body  of  the  deceased 
Prelate  through  the  thronged  streets  of  Baltimore ;  the 
very  house-tops  are  said  to  have  been  crowded  with 
earnest  and  respectful  spectators  of  the  passing  cortege. 

The  estimation  in  which  the  good  and  great  departed 
were  held  by  their  contemporaries,  is  one  of  the  best  evi- 
dences of  their  exalted  virtues,  and  of  the  services  and 
blessings  which  they  bestowed  upon  society.  It  is  with 
this  view  that  the  following  articles,  published  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  and  sincerely  expressive  of  the  grief 
of  the  Church  at  the  loss  of  such  a  Prelate,  and  of  the 
people  at  the  loss  of  such  a  pastor,  are  reproduced  from 
the  publications  of  that  day.  A  character  which  elicited 
such  sentiments,  and  which  inspired  the  pen  of  the 
chronicler  and  the  muse  of  the  poet  with  such  enthusi- 
asm, must  have  been  such  as  is  rarely  seen  among  men, 
and  such  as,  when  produced  on  earth,  give  evidence  of 
the  sanctity  of  the  Church  which  is  able  to  exhibit  such 
fruits. 

"  Before  the  offering  was  laid  on  the  altar,  a  voice  broke 
from  the  ebon-mantled  chair,  from  which  the  divine  com- 
mands are  proclaimed  to  the  faithful ;  and,  in  the  words 
of  St.  Matthew,  asked,  '  Who,  think  you,  is  the  servant, 
faithful  and  wise,  whom  his  Lord  hath  appointed  to  take 
charge  of  his  family  ?'  The  Most  Reverend  Ambrose 
Marechal,  Archbishop  of  Baltimore,  and  administrator 
of  the  diocese  of  Richmond. 

"Blessed  be  that  servant.  Sighs,  tears,  smothered 
sobs,  the  flutter  of  disconsolate  hearts,  told  the  widow- 
hood of  our  Church.  The  harp  was  on  the  willows  of 
our  streams.  Joy  was  found  in  grief,  when  the  long 
chain  of  virtue,  usefulness,  piety,  religion,  apostolical 
zeal,  wisdom  matured,  prudence  ever  wakeful,  con- 


252  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

summate  knowledge,  were  seen  linked  for  the  peace  of 
saddened  hearts.  There  lay  the  reverend  Father  of 
God's  people,  once  so  amiable,  so  mild,  so  compas- 
sionate, so  tender-hearted,  so  dignified,  so  learned,  so 
sincerely  beloved  by  all.  There  he  lay,  now  chilled  by 
the  icy  hand  of  death.  There  he  lay ;  whose  soul  was 
an  open  repertory  of  charity,  cheerfulness,  urbanity,  con- 
solation to  the  afflicted,  light  to  the  perplexed  in  any 
maze  whatever.  There  he  lay,  in  spite  of  all  that 
grandeur  of  soul,  soon  to  be  stript  even  of  the  sullen 
weeds  of  death,  and  to  descend  to  the  darkling,  lonely, 
subterranean  cell,  and  sleep  in  dust,  by  the  side  of  the 
venerable  John,  patriarch  of  the  American  Catholic 
Church.  Eternal  peace  receive  him  !  Who  was  more 
truly  honored  in  the  midst  of  the  people,  when  he  came 
forth  into  the  sanctuary?  He  was  as  the  morning  star 
in  the  midst  of  a  cloud  •  as  a  moon  at  the  full ;  as  the 
sun  shining  in  the  temple  of  the  Most  High  /  as  the 
rainbow  giving  light  in  the  bright  clouds  /  as  the  flower 
of  roses  in  the  spring  of  the  year  j  as  lilies  by  rivers  of 
water  •  as  the  frankincense  tree  in  the  summer  /  as  Jire 
and  incense  in  the  censer  •  as  a  vessel  of  gold  set  with 
precious  stones ;  as  a  fair  olive-tree  budding  forth 
fruits  ;  as  a  cypress,  which  groweth  up  to  the  clouds  of 
heaven.  When  he  put  on  the  robe  of  honor,  and  was 
clothed  with  the  perfection  of  honor — when  he  went  up 
to  the  holy  altar,  he  made  the  garment  of  holiness  honor- 
able. He  stood  by  the  altar  compassed  with  his  brethren 
round  about,  as  a  young  cedar  on  Libanus,  and  as  palm- 
trees  compassed  they  him  about.  The  ritual  service  for 
the  funeral  obsequies  of  Archbishops  was  performed. 
The  body  was  borne  to  the  vault  and  enclosed,  all  retired 
in  silence.  Be  his  virtues  the  balm  of  our  memory,  the 


Most  Rev.  Ambrose  Marechal,  D.D.  253 

delightful    theme   of    our    conversations ;    our   conduct 
through  life  the  counterpart  of  such  a  model."* 

"  Why  droops  in  grief  thy  pensive  head, 

Solyma's  mourning  child  ? 
Why  is  thy  hair  dishevell'd  spread  ? 

Why  wander"  st  wan  and  wild  ? 
Art  thou  in  widow's  weeds  arrayed  ? 

Or  is  thy  grief  the  same 
That  on  the  childless  Rachel  preyM  ? 

Oh  !  give  thy  grief  a  name. 
Alas !  good  Ambrose  is  no  more : 

The  pastor,  father,  friend  ; 
Then  well  may  Sion's  child  deplore 

Poor  mortal's  hurried  end. 
When  Fate  has  touched  the  slender  thread 

That  binds  us  to  this  clay, 
We  soon  are  numbered  with  the  dead, 

No  tears  can  cause  our  stay  ! 
Oft  in  the  midst  of  life  and  light 

Death  makes  his  victim's  tomb, — 
Sol  rises  oft  in  glory  bright, 

But  sets  in  mist  and  gloom  ! 
Then  let  thy  tears,  thou  mourner,  flow 

For  him  who  well  may  claim 
The  tribute  of  our  tears  and  woe, 

T'  embalm  his  much-loved  name. 
His  spirit  pure  has  soar*d  on  high, 

To  mingle  with  the  Just ; 
But  here  the  mortal  part  must  be, 

And  pass  to  native  dust."  f 

"  In  delineating  the  character  of  this  eminent  Prelate,  it 
would  scarcely  be  possible  to  represent  it  in  too  favorable 
a  light.  With  talents  of  a  superior  order  and  acquire- 
ments of  almost  boundless  extent,  he  united  all  those 

•  Catholic  Miscellany,  February  16,  1828. 
fid.,  March  15,  1828. 


254  Lives  of  the   Catholic  Bishops. 

amiable  and  engaging  qualities  which  form  the  charm 
of  social  intercourse.  Always  prepared  for  the  discussion 
of  those  topics  that  were  advanced  in  his  presence,  he 
never  dismissed  them  without  imparting  clearer  views  to 
the  minds  of  his  hearers.  Besides  thorough  acquaintance 
with  the  ecclesiastical  sciences,  his  mind  was  stored  with 
an  extensive  knowledge  of  philosophy,  history,  and  gen- 
eral literature.  He  had,  likewise,  made  a  profound  study 
of  several  branches  of  mathematics,  and  has  left  a  num- 
ber of  valuable  manuscripts  on  those  abstruse  subjects. 
Yet,  with  all  those  splendid  qualifications,  what  modesty 
and  what  simplicity!  His  character  moulded  itself  to 
every  species  of  society.  In  the  company  of  the  learned, 
exhaustless  treasures  flowed  spontaneously  from  his 
richly-stored  memory ;  while  the  cordiality  of  his  con- 
versation never  gave  the  uneducated  occasion  to  feel 
their  inferiority.  Everywhere  he  was  distinguished  by 
the  same  ease,  the  same  dignity,  the  same  episcopal  de- 
corum. 

"  His  character  appears  to  still  greater  advantage 
•when  we  advert  to  that  tender  and  enlightened  piety 
which  constituted  the  principle  of  all  his  actions.  His 
soul  seemed  to  have  been  formed  for  virtue.  He  viewed 
all  the  events  of  human  life  through  the  medium  of  re- 
ligion. Hence  that  perfect  indifference  to  the  things 
that  engage  the  most  ardent  pursuit  of  earthly  interest 
and  ambition.  Hence  that  liberality  that  shared  so 
largely  a  limited  subsistence  with  the  victims  of  poverty 
and  misfortune.  Hence  that  paternal  disposition,  that 
benignity  of  manner,  by  which  he  strove  to  win  the 
hearts  of  those  who  had  been  committed  to  his  charge, 
ancf  to  gain  them  all  to  Christ.  Hence,  in  a  word,  that 
constant  fidelity  in  feeding  the  flock  of  God  *  *  in 


Most  Rev.  Ambrose  Marechal,  D.D.  255 

tak'.'.g  care  of  it,  not  by  constraint,  but  willingly,  accord- 
ing to  God,  neither  for  the  sake  of Jilthy  lucre,  but  volun- 
tarily ;  neither  as  domineering  over  the  clergy,  but  being 
made  a  pattern  of  the  flock  from  the  heart"  wherefore 
he  hoped  that  when  the  Prince  of  Pastors  would  appear, 
he  should  receive  a  never-fading  crown  of  glory  !  (i  Pe- 
ter, c.  v.)"* 

*  Catholic  Almanac,  1836. 


RIGHT   REV.  JOHN   BAPTIST   DAVID,  D.D., 

Coadjutor  Bishop  of  Bardstown,  Ky.>  A.D.  1819.* 

JOHN  BAPTIST  MARIA  DAVID  was  born  in  1 76 1 ,  in  a  small 
town  on  the  Loire,  in  France,  between  the  cities  of 
Nantes  and  Angers.  The  truly  religious  and  Catholic 
character  of  the  French  people  at  this  period,  more  espe- 
cially away  from  the  large  cities,  and  beyond  the  influences 
of  the  infidel  schools,  strikes  us  the  more  forcibly  in  con- 
trast with  the  irreligious  and  depraved  period  which  so 
soon  followed.  The  parents  of  Bishop  David  belonged 
to  that  pious  and  pure-minded  portion  of  the  French 
population  which  afforded  so  many  instances  of  heroism 
during  the  French  Revolution.  The  duty  of  parents  to 
their  children  seemed  to  have  been  a  well-taught  lesson 
in  that  age  and  country.  Possessed  of  a  competency 
without  affluence,  these  good  parents  were  most  solicitous 
to  give  a  proper  education  to  their  children,  and  spared 
no  pains  or  expense  in  accomplishing  this  important  ob- 
ject. John  Baptist  gave  early  evidence  of  his  corre- 
spondence with  their  wishes.  At  the  age  of  seven  years 
he  was  placed  under  the  care  of  an  uncle,  a  pious  priest, 
who  instructed  him  in  the  Latin  and  French  languages, 
and  in  music,  for  which  he  had  a  fondness.  He  was  en- 
rolled as  one  of  the  erif ants  dec kceur,  or  boys  who  served 
at  the  altar  and  sang  in  the  choir.  Thus  breathing  from 
childhood  the  atmosphere  of  the  sanctuary,  he  grew  up 
in  piety  and  goodness.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  his  parents 

*  Authorities  :    Archbishop  Spalding's  Sketches  of  Kentucky,  and  Life  of  Bii  hop 
Flaget ;  Life  of  Mrs.  Seton,  by  Rev.  C.  I.  White,  D.D.,  etc.,  etc. 


Right  Rev.  John  Baptist  David,  D.D.         257 

sent  him  to  the  College  of  the  Oratorians,  near  by, 
where  his  attention  to  study,  his  solid  talents,  piety,  and 
manliness  of  character,  won  for  him  the  esteem  of  his 
teachers  and  the  friendship  of  his  companions. 

His  desires  from  an  early  age  inclined  him  to  the 
sanctuary,  and  now  his  wish  to  devote  himself  to  the 
service  of  God  and  his  neighbor  became  so  ardent  that 
his  parents,  only  too  proud  to  have  their  name  and  family 
linked  with  the  sacred  office,  sent  him  to  the  Diocesan 
Seminary  of  Nantes,  where  he  made  great  progress  in 
theology  and  other  sacred  studies.  In  1778,  in  his 
eighteenth  year,  he  received  ecclesiastical  tonsure,  and 
two  years  later  minor  orders,  from  the  hands  of  the 
Bishop  of  Angers.  In  the  mean  time,  he  won  with  dis- 
tinction the  degrees  of  Bachelor  and  Master  of  Arts.  In 
his  twenty-second  year  he  received  the  holy  order  of 
subdeaconship,  and  regarded  himself  henceforth  as 
wholly  dedicated  to  the  service  of  God.  Yielding  to 
the  solicitations  of  one  of  the  leading  families  of  Nantes, 
and  the  advice  of  his  superiors,  he  undertook  the  in- 
struction, for  several  years,  of  the  children  of  this  family. 
He  was  quite  young  himself,  and  while  thus  conferring 
the  greatest  of  blessings  to  youth,  a  Christian  education, 
upon  others,  he  matured  his  own  character  by  study  and 
experience.  So  grateful  were  his  young  friends  and 
pupils  to  him  for  his  kind  services,  that  nearly  sixty 
years  afterwards,  when  Bishop  Flaget  was  in  France, 
one  of  them  came  to  inquire  most  earnestly  of  that  Pre- 
late about  his  old  preceptor.  Mr.  David  was  ordained 
deacon  in  1783,  and  shortly  afterwards,  having  deter- 
mined to  join  the  congregation  of  St.  Sulpice,  he  went  to 
Paris  and  remained  two  years  in  retirement,  prayer,  and 
study  at  Issy.  His  life  as  a  seminarian  was  marked  by 


258  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

exemplary  virtues,  great  punctuality  in  duty,  observance 
of  the  rule,  and  evident  aptitude  for  his  chosen  vocation. 
He  was  raised  to  the  holy  priesthood,  September  24, 
1785.  Early  in  1786  he  was  sent  by  his  superiors  to 
the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Sulpitians,  at  Angers, 
where  he  remained  four  years  as  Professor  of  Philoso- 
phy, Theology,  and  Holy  Scriptures.  In  these  great 
moral  and  sacred  studies,  he  taught  not  only  by  learned 
precept,  but  still  more  by  the  example  of  a  pure  and 
holy  life. 

While  thus  engaged,  the  horrors  of  the  Revolution 
broke  upon  his  beloved  country,  and  the  institutions  of 
St.  Sulpice,  like  everything  else  that  was  venerable  and 
good,  were  broken  up  and  the  professors  hunted  down. 
Mr.  David  took  shelter  in  a  private  family  devoted  to 
the  cause  of  religion  and  the  Church,  where  he  spent  his 
hours  in  study  and  prayer,  hoping  that  the  storm  would 
pass.  But  the  fury  of  the  scourge  increased;  his  dis- 
covery would  be  speedy  and  certain  death  to  himself  and 
his  generous  protectors  ;  he  longed,  too,  for  more  active 
and  useful  labors,  and  finally  resolved,  with  the  advice  of 
his  superiors,  to  devote  himself  to  the  American  mission. 
In  1792  he  accordingly  embarked  for  the  United  States, 
in  company  with  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Flaget  and  Badin, 
future  ornaments,  like  himself,  of  the  American  Church. 
During  the  voyage  he  applied  himself  so  industriously 
to  the  study  of  English,  that  he  had  overcome  its  prin- 
cipal difficulties  when  it  terminated.  "  This  is  but  one 
of  a  long  chain  of  facts,"  says  Archbishop  Spalding, 
"  which  prove  that  he  made  it  an  invariable  rule  never  to 
be  idle,  and  never  to  lose  a  moment  of  his  precious 
time."  He  afterwards  so  thoroughly  mastered  the  lan- 
guage, that  no  one  could  detect  in  his  speech  the  least 


Right  Rev.  John  Baptist  David,  D.D.         259 

foreign  accent,  a  striking  proof  of  the  earnestness  with 
which  he  dedicated  himself  to  the  missions  of  this 
country. 

It  was  not  long  after  his  arrival  at  Baltimore,  that 
Bishop  Carroll  found  him  able  to  go  on  the  mission,  and 
sent  him  to  attend  several  Catholic  congregations  in  the 
lower  counties  of  Maryland.  His  first  sermon  was  not 
only  well  understood,  but  produced  great  effect  amongst 
his  hearers.  He  had  an  ample  field  before  him  in  the 
three  congregations  which  he  attended,  for  piety  had 
grown  cold  and  practice  negligent  among  the  descend- 
ants of  the  old  Catholic  pilgrims  of  Maryland.  He  la- 
bored zealously  and  successfully  for  the  revival  of  relig- 
ion among  them.  He  commenced  regular  courses  of 
instruction  in  the  form  of  Spiritual  Retreats,  and  was  the 
first  clergyman  in  the  United  States  who  resorted  to 
this  salutary  method  of  "renewing  the  hearts  of  the 
faithful."  He  gave  four  retreats  a  year  to  each  of  his 
congregations :  the  first  was  for  the  benefit  of  the  mar- 
ried men ;  the  second  for  that  of  the  married  women  ; 
the  third  and  fourth  for  that  of  the  boys  and  girls ;  to 
each  of  which  classes  he  gave  separate  sets  of  instruc- 
tions, suitable  to  their  respective  conditions  and  capaci- 
ties. These  retreats  were  a  great  success  ;  few  attended 
at  first ;  but  to  these  few  he  preached  with  as  much  earn- 
estness and  zeal  as  if  they  were  many,  esteeming  a 
benefit  to  one  soul  worthy  of  the  best  efforts  of  the  min- 
ister of  God.  Those  who  heard  him  reported  their  im- 
pressions to  those  who  held  back,  and  soon  his  retreats 
were  attended  by  the  entire  congregations.  His  dis 
courses  were  plain  in  style,  but  thorough  in  their  matter 
and  earnest  in  their  spirit,  and  afford  a  proof  that  elo- 
quence is  not  essential  for  reaching  the  hearts  of  men, 


260  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

provided  the  heart  of  the  speaker  is  in  his  work,  and  in- 
dustry and  zeal  combine  with  wisdom,  charity,  and  love 

"Great  were  the  effects,"  says  the  same  venerable 
author  already  quoted,*  "  and  most  abundant  the  fruits, 
of  M.  David's  labors  on  the  missions  of  Maryland.  On 
his  arrival  among  them,  he  found  his  congregations  cold, 
•and  neglectful  of  their  religious  duties ;  he  left  them 
fervent  and  exemplary.  Piety  everywhere  revived;  the 
children  and  servants  made  their  first  communion ;  the 
older  members  of  the  congregations  became  regular  com- 
municants. Few  that  were  instructed  by  him  could  soon 
forget  their  duty ;  so  great  was  the  impression  he  left, 
and  so  thorough  was  the  course  of  instruction  he  gave. 
To  the  portion  of  Maryland  in  which  he  thus  signalized 
his  zeal  he  bequeathed  a  rich  and  abundant  legacy 
of  spiritual  blessings,  which  was  destined  to  descend 
from  generation  to  generation  ;  and  the  good  people 
of  those  parts  still  exhibit  traces  of  this  zeal,  and  still 
pronounce  his  name  with  reverence  and  gratitude." 

In  1804  Bishop  Carroll  recalled  him  from  the  mission, 
to  supply  an  indispensable  demand  at  Georgetown  Col- 
lege, where  he  ably  and  zealously  discharged  the  duties 
of  Professor  for  two  years.  In  1806  the  Order  of  St. 
Sulpice  at  Baltimore,  of  which  society  he  had  became  a 
member  in  France,  expressed  a  desire  to  secure  his 
valuable  services  at  their  Theological  Seminary  and  Col- 
lege of  St.  Mary's  in  that  city.  He  obeyed  the  call  of 
his  community,  and  repaired  to  the  assistance  of  his 
brethren.  For  five  years  he  continued  his  useful  occu- 
pations in  connection  with  these  institutions,  and  in 
various  offices  contributed  greatly  to  their  prosperity 
and  reputation.  While  thus  engaged  he  was  appointed, 

*  Sketches  of  Kentucky,  p.  220. 


Right  Rev.  John  Baptist  David,  D.D.         261 

on  the  resignation  of  Rev.  Mr.  Dubourg,  to  the  important 
and  responsible  office  of  Ecclesiastical  Superior  of  the 
Sisters  of  Charity.  The  following  extract  from  his  letter 
to  Mother  Seton,  in  1809,  on  the  occasion  of  the  death 
of  her  sister,  Harriet  Seton,  is  an  appropriate  evidence 
of  his  friendship  for  that  emihent  lady  and  her  commu- 
nity, and  of  his  forcible  manner  in  giving  advice  and 
consolation :  "  Crosses,  privations,  and  afflictions,"  he 
writes  to  Mother  Seton  in  her  bereavement,  "  seem  to 
be  the  lot  which  our  blessed  Lord  has  apportioned  for 
your  soul.  Courage,  my  dear  Mother !  these  are  the 
precious  jewels  with  which  the  Divine  Spouse  is  pleased 
to  adorn  his  bride.  They  are  the  most  valuable  earnest 
of  his  love  and  sweet  pledges  of  his  future  liberalities. 
Our  dear  Harriet  is  not  dead,  but  lives  to  her  God.  In 
lamenting  her  loss  for  us,  I  cannot  forbear  looking  upon 
her  death  as  a  happy  event  for  herself.  From  what 
storms  and  dangers  is  she  not  delivered  !  Perhaps  God 
foresaw  that,  if  she  had  lived,  the  persecutions  and 
allurements  of  a  wicked  world  would  have  shaken  her 
constancy,  and  caused  her  to  forsake  her  good  resolu- 
tions. Let  us  adore  the  unsearchable,  but  always  wise 
and  merciful,  ways  of  Providence ;  and  let  us  more  than 
ever  convince  ourselves  that  Jesus  wishes  to  be  the  sole 
possessor  of  our  hearts,  and  would  have  His  spouses, 
above  all  others,  to  abandon  themselves  with  perfect 
resignation  into  His  hands,  casting  away  all  anxious 
cares,  leaving  entirely  to  Him  the  choice  of  the  good  or 
evils  that  are  to  befall  them,  with  a  total  abnegation  of 
their  own  interest  and  a  full  reliance  on  the  care  of  His 
providence,  having  no  other  thought,  in  troublesome 
and  painful  encounters,  than  to  submit  lovingly  to  what- 
ever God  will  be  pleased  to  ordain.  The  soul,  in  this 


262  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

state  of  resignation,  fears  neither  sickness  nor  poverty, 
desires  neither  health  nor  riches,  but  simply  applies  to 
the  service  of  her  Master,  according  to  the  word  of  our 
Lord  to  a  beloved  spouse  of  His :  '  Take  care  of  Me,  and 
I  will  of  thee.'  How  precious  are  the  fruits  of  this 
resignation  !  It  makes  the  soul  the  dwelling  of  peace 
joy,  and  liberty,  which  are  the  true  fruits  of  the  Divine 
Spirit."*  His  relations  as  Spiritual  Director  to  the 
Sisters  of  Charity  were  those  of  a  true  father  to  his 
children ;  his  counsel  and  advice  were  of  invaluable  service 
to  them.  The  virtues  he  most  inculcated  were  simplicity 
and  obedience ;  virtues,  for  which  he  was  himself  dis- 
tinguished. He  told  them  that  "  obedience  is  better  than 
sacrifice ; "  that  "  the  true  spirit  of  religion  is  the  spirit 
of  infancy,  which  knows  no  disguise."  The  second  re- 
treat of  the  community,  which  commenced  October  8, 
1810,  was  conducted  by  him.  It  was  regarded  as  a 
great  loss  to  the  good  Sisters  when  his  services  were 
transferred  to  another  field. 

In  1810  Bishop  Flaget  passed  through  Baltimore  on 
his  way  to  his  new  diocese  of  Bardstown,  Kentucky. 
Father  David,  though  more  than  fifty  years  old,  and 
with  health  impaired  by  his  labors,  had  volunteered  to 
accompany  his  venerable  friend  to  the  West,  to  share 
his  toils,  hardships,  and  privations.  Both  Bishop  Flaget 
and  Mr.  Emery,  the  Superior  General  of  the  Sulpitians, 
approved  of  this  plan,  and  the  latter  had  designated  Fa- 
ther David  as  Superior  of  the  new  theological  seminary  to 
be  commenced  at  Bardstown.  "And  he  could  not  have 
chosen  a  more  suitable  person,"  says  Archbishop  Spald- 
ing,f  "  than  the  Rev.  M.  David,  for  carrying  this  excel- 

*  Life  of  Mrs.  Selon,  by  Rev.  C.  I.  White,  D.D. 
\  Life  of  JSis/i  f  Flaget,  by  Archbishop  Spalding. 


Right  Rev.  John  Baptist  David,  D.D.         263 

lent  plan  into  execution.  Reared  in  seminaries  and 
colleges  from  his  earliest  youth,  zealous,  laborious, 
learned,  and  regular  in  all  his  habits,  M.  David  was  the 
very  man  for  founding  and  conducting  with  success  a 
theological  seminary.  For  doing  this  he  was,  besides, 
blessed  with  a  peculiar  talent,  and  he  entered  on  the 
task  with  all  the  ardor  of  his  soul.  The  infant  Seminary 
became  the  object  of  all  his  thoughts — the  idol  of  his 
heart.  The  founder  of  our  diocesan  Seminary,  he 
became  the  father  of  most  of  the  present  secular 
clergy  of  Kentucky.  Long  and  deeply  will  they  rev- 
erence the  memory,  and  with  tender  love  and  grati- 
tude will  they  continue  to  pronounce  the  name  of  Father 
David." 

The  good  Bishop,  accompanied  by  Father  David,  a 
priest  from  Canada,  a  subdeacon  and  two  laymen,  can- 
didates for  the  new  Seminary,  started  westward  early  in 
1811,  and  Father  David  wrote  of  the  expedition,  "The 
boat  on  which  we  descended  the  Ohio  became  the  cra- 
dle of  our  Seminary  and  of  the  Church  of  Kentucky." 
The  new  Seminary  was  a  small  cabin,  in  which  the  semi- 
narians resided,  while  Father  David  resided  in  a  small 
extension  of  the  main  cabin.  The  Seminary  was  founded 
at  Bardstown,  and  flourished  under  Father  David's  wise 
and  zealous  management;  it  was  afterwards  removed  to 
the  farm  left  to  Bishop  Flaget  by  Mr.  Hamilton.  The 
young  seminarians  corresponded  cordially  with  Fathei 
David's  views,  and  imbibed  his  spirit.  Their  life  was 
one  of  privation,  hardship,  and  labor,  in  the  midst  of 
which  they  pursued  their  theological  studies  with  cheer- 
fulness and  zeal.  They  all  united  in  building  Bishop 
Flaget's  new  Church  of  St.  Thomas ;  making  brick, 
cutting  timber,  mixing  the  mortar,  and  spending  theii 


264  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

recreation  from  study  in  tilling  the  soil  and  in  other  kinds 
of  manual  labor.  After  several  years,  they  succeeded  in 
building  a  Seminary  thirty  feet  square,  in  which,  besides 
their  own  seminarians,  they  accommodated  for  a  year 
twelve  ecclesiastics  of  the  diocese  of  New  Orleans  then 
waiting  for  the  arrival  of  Bishop  Dubourg,  who  was  ex- 
pected with  twenty-three  other  companions.  "These," 
says  Father  David,  "  will  be  lodged  with  difficulty ;  but 
our  hearts  will  dilate  with  joy  ;  and  these  good  mission 
aries  will  perform  with  us  an  apprenticeship  of  the  apos 
tolic  life." 

As  Superior  of  the  Seminary  Father  David  was  a  rigid 
disciplinarian,  but  he  was  the  first  to  practice  discipline 
himself.  Master  of  the  interior  life,  he  led  his  semi- 
narians to  aspire  to  Christian  perfection.  He  was  inde- 
fatigable in  his  teachings  and  labors.  He  also  set  them 
the  example  of  every  virtue,  but  especially  of  humility, 
in  acknowledging  his  faults  in  public  with  tears,  and 
begging  pardon  of  those  he  might  have  offended.  Not 
content  with  the  labors  of  the  Seminary,  he  extended  his 
zeal  to  the  people  of  the  neighboring  country.  He  was 
for  several  years  pastor  of  St.  Thomas',  and  attended 
several  neighboring  stations  on  Thursdays.  Constant 
labor  was  his  delight.  His  frankness  made  him  pecu- 
liarly acceptable  among  the  people  of  Kentucky,  them- 
selves a  candid  and  sincere  people,  and  enabled  him  to 
accomplish  much  good  among  them. 

Father  David  was  also  the  founder  of  the  Sisters  of 
Charity  in  Kentucky ;  he  located  them  at  first  in  a  log- 
house,  which  was  afterwards  extended  by  the  addition 
of  a  log  wing  built  by  the  seminarians  for  the  Sisters. 
He  organized  their  community,  gave  them  retreats,  pre- 
pared their  rules,  and  acted  by  the  appointment  of  Bishop 


Right  Rev.  John  Baptist  David,  D.D.         265 

Flaget,  as  their  spiritual  director.  The  Sisters  of  Charity 
are  greatly  indebted  to  him  for  his  labors  in  behalf 
of  their  infant  establishment,  for  promoting  its  growth 
and  maturity,  and  for  their  subsequent  and  present  pros- 
perity and  success. 

During  the  vacancy  of  the  See  of  Philadelphia,  caused 
by  the  death  of  Bishop  Egan,  Father  David  was  pro- 
posed and  nominated  to  Rome  as  Bishop  of  that  diocese  ; 
but  his  humility  would  not  allow  him  to  accept,  and  he 
wrote  to  the  Propaganda,  begging  them  not  to  think  of 
him.  But  his  exemption  from  the  episcopal  dignity  and 
responsibility  was  not  of  long  duration.  In  1818  Bishop 
Flaget's  Cathedral  at  Bardstown  was  in  progress,  and  he 
became  desirous  of  removing  his  residence  thither ;  but 
he  was  also  desirous  of  being  surrounded  by  his  semi- 
narians, whom  he  greatly  loved.  Father  David,  in  com- 
pliance with  his  wishes,  took  up  his  residence  at  Bards- 
town  with  the  seminarians.  Bishop  Flaget,  weighed 
down  by  his  labors  and  many  solicitudes,  and  being  fre- 
quently absent  from  his  episcopal  city,  while  visiting  his 
diocese,  petitioned  the  Holy  See,  in  1817,  to  appoint  his 
bosom  friend  and  intimate  associate,  Father  David,  to 
be  his  coadjutor  in  the  episcopacy.  Though  several 
years  older  than  the  Bishop,  Father  David  was  now  in 
robust  health,  active  and  laborious.  The  request  of  the 
Bishop  was  readily  granted ;  but  Father  David  was  re- 
luctant to  accept  the  proffered  honor.  Obedince,  how- 
ever, had  been  his  great  precept  to  others,  and  he  finally 
yielded  to  the  wishes  of  his  two  superiors,  the  Holy 
Father  and  Bishop  Flaget.  But  such  was  his  holy 
poverty,  true  successor  of  the  Apostles,  that  he  had  not 
the  necessary  means  to  prepare  for  his  consecration, 
which  was  thus  delayed  for  two  years.  He  was  conse- 


266  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

crated  by  Bishop  Flaget  in  his  new  Cathedral,  in  the 
presence  of  a  vast  assembly,  on  the  feast  of  the  Assump 
tion,  1819,  as  Bishop  of  Mauricastro  in  partibus  ;  two 
of  the  oldest  clergymen  of  the  diocese  assisting,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  inability  to  secure  the  attendance  of  two 
other  Bishops.  After  his  consecration  his  life  was  sim- 
ple, humble,  and  laborious  as  before.  His  labors  in  the 
Seminary  continued  unabated,  and  he  associated,  with  his 
seminarians  as  their  father,  and  shared  with  them  his 
recreations,  his  table,  and  all  he  had.  His  early  fond- 
ness for  music  still  remained,  and  he  spared  no  pains  in 
forming  the  Cathedral  choir,  was  a  rigid  adherent  of  the 
old  Gregorian  Chant,  upon  which  he  would  allow  no  in- 
novations, and  for  many  years  he  supplied  the  place  of 
organist  and  leader  of  the  choir  himself.  He  was  for 
many  years  after  his  consecration  Chief  Pastor  of  the 
Cathedral,  and  in  this  position  performed  all  the  labor  of 
missionary  priest.  He  attended  to  sick  calls,  preached, 
and  heard  confessions,  and  was  so  scrupulous  of  his  time, 
that  he  was  never  known  to  lose  a  moment.  It  was  in 
the  confessional  that  he  was  most  impressive,  and, 
though  a  good  preacher  and  admirable  teacher,  he  was 
pre-eminent  as  a  confessor.  At  the  same  time,  he  dis- 
charged the  varied  duties  of  Coadjutor  Bishop  and  Supe- 
rior of  the  Seminary  and  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity.  After 
devoting  himself  for  sixteen  years  to  the  Seminary, 
he  was  finally  compelled,  by  his  many  occupations  and 
advancing  years,  to  resign  that  charge  into  younger 
hands.  Not  long  after  his  consecration  he  was  so  situ- 
ated as  to  be  compelled  to  defend  Catholic  doctrines  in 
a  public  oral  discussion  at  the  Court  House  against  the 
attacks  of  a  Presbyterian  minister  named  Hall.  He  was 
-averse  to  public  oral  discussions,  but  the  interests  of  re 


Right  Rev.  John  Baptist  David,  D.D.         267 

ligion  required  it,  and  he  is  said  to  have  conducted  his 
part  of  the  discussion  in  so  calm,  dignified,  and  convincing 
a  manner,  as  to  be  ever  afterwards  exempt  from  similar 
challenges.  In  1823  the  College  of  Bardstown  was 
unanimously  raised  by  the  Legislature  of  Kentucky  to  the 
rank  of  an  University,  and  Bishop  David  was  its  Presi- 
dent. He  wrote  and  published  several  learned  and  pow- 
erful defences  of  Catholic  doctrines  ;  among  which  was 
his  "  Vindication  of  the  Catholic  Doctrine  concerning 
the  Use  and  Veneration  of  Images,  the  Honor  and  Invo 
cation  of  Saints,  and  the  Keeping  and  Honoring  of 
their  Relics ;  "  and  his  celebrated  "  Address  to  his  breth- 
ren of  other  professions,  On  the  Rule  of  Faith."  He 
also  wrote  for  the  Catholic  press,  and  published  several 
translations  from  the  French. 

He  spent  over  twenty  years  in  the  episcopacy,  and 
throughout  all  that  time,  as  when  a  priest,  he  was  untir- 
ing, zealous,  and  devout ;  humble,  simple,  and  frank  ;  vigi 
lant,  courageous,  and  energetic.  His  labors  and  exam- 
ple had  a  great  influence  in  introducing  and  extending 
religion  in  Kentucky ;  and  the  priests  whom  he  trained 
for  the  sacred  offices  have  proved  themselves  amongst 
the  most  learned,  zealous,  and  laborious  of  the  country. 
His  death,  in  his  eighty-first  year,  the  fifty-sixth  of  his 
priesthood,  and  twenty-second  of  his  episcopacy,  oc- 
curred July  12,  1841.  It  was  in  keeping  with  his  life: 
calm,  resigned,  devout,  and  hopeful ;  supported  by  his 
unswerving  love  of  his  Creator. 

"  Gifted  in  an  eminent  degree  with  the  spirit  of  prayer, 
he  was  always  united  with  God  in  all  his  actions.  He 
labored  not  for  men,  but  God ;  not  for  earth,  but  for 
heaven.  His  ambition  aspired  to  a  heavenly  crown  of 
unfading  glory  ;  he  spurned  all  else." 

*  Sktlchtf  of  Kentucky,  by  Archbishop  Spalding. 


RIGHT  REV.  PATRICK  KELLY,  D.D., 

first  £  is  hop  of  Richmond,  A.D.  1820.* 

diSHOP  KELLY  was  a  native  of  Ireland.  He  was  for 
many  years  Professor,  and  at  the  time  of  his  appointment 
as  Bishop,  President  of  Birchfield  College,  near  Kil- 
kenny. In  1820  the  Catholics  of  Norfolk,  Virginia,  and 
those  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  petitioned  the  Holy 
See  for  the  erection  of  Episcopal  Sees  in  those  States. 
By  Apostolic  letters,  bearing  date  July  n,  1820,  the 
Holy  See  erected  Virginia  into  a  diocese,  with  its  See  at 
Richmond,  and  appointed  Dr.  Kelly  its  first  Bishop. 
He  was  consecrated  in  the  parish  chapel  of  St.  Mary, 
Kilkenny,  in  the  diocese  of  Ossory,  August  24,  the  feast 
of  St.  Bartholomew,  by  the  Most  Rev.  Dr.  Troy,  Arch- 
bishop of  Dublin,  assisted  by  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Murray, 
Coadjutor  of  Dublin,  and  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Marum, 
Bishop  of  Ossory.  He  was  present  afterwards  as  one 
of  the  assistant  Prelates,  at  the  consecration  of  Bishop 
England,  of  Charleston.  He  arrived  at  Norfolk,  where 
he  designed  to  reside  in  consequence  of  the  greater 
number  of  Catholics  there,  on  January  19,  1821,  and  on 
the  following  Sunday  published  his  authority  in  the  usual 
manner. 

There  was  one  church  at  Norfolk,  built  about  the  year 
1809.  This  was  the  first  Cathedral  of  Virginia.  There 
were  six  other  churches  in  the  diocese  ;  one  at  each  of 
the  following  places,  viz. :  Portsmouth,  Richmond,  Mar- 

*  Authorities  :   Catlwlic  Almanacs,  1822  and  1839  ;  De  Courcy  and  Shea's  CatholU 
Church  in  the  United  States  •  Catholic  Miscellany,  VoL  3,  etc.,  etc. 


Right  Rev.  John  Kelly,  D.D.  269 

tinsburgh,  Winchester,  Bath,  and  Shepherdstown ;  the 
last  four  were  attended  by  clergymen  from  Maryland; 
but  Bishop  Kelly  earnestly  endeavored  to  provide  for 
them  a  resident  pastor  located  at  Winchester. 

There  was  not  a  Catholic  school  in  the  diocese,  though 
many  of  the  teachers  in  the  State  were  Catholics.  Such 
was  the  poverty  of  the  Bishop,  that  he  was  compelled 
to  open  a  school,  conducted  by  himself,  at  Norfolk,  in  or- 
der to  gain  a  livelihood. 

His  labors  in  the  mean  time  were  indefatigable,  and  he 
did  much  for  the  good  of  his  flock.  He  performed,  in 
addition  to  his  teaching,  all  the  duties  of  a  missionary. 
He  found  himself  unable  to  supply  the  spiritual  wants  of 
his  sparse  flock  in  so  large  a  diocese.  The  great  Cum- 
berland Road  was  then  under  construction,  and  quite  a 
number  of  Catholic  laborers  were  engaged  on  it.  Some 
more  wealthy  Catholic  Irishmen  were  attracted  thither 
by  probable  opportunities  of  obtaining  contracts  on  the 
road,  and  settled  in  Wheeling,  through  which  the  road 
passed.  So  wild  and  unimproved  was  the  country  at 
that  time,  that  these  Catholics  did  not  even  know  to 
what  quarter  to  apply  for  spiritual  aid,  until  directed  to 
Bishop  Kelly,  who  made  every  effort  to  supply  their 
wants.  The  Rev.  Mr.  O'Brien,  then  stationed  at  Pitts- 
burgh, was  the  first  priest,  who  occasionally  visited 
Wheeling,  and  after  his  removal  to  Kentucky,  Bishop 
Kelly  gave  the  necessary  authority  to  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Maguire  to  erect  a  church  at  Wheeling,  where  the  Cath- 
olics, though  few,  were  very  zealous.  In  the  eastern 
part  of  the  State  little  was  to  be  done,  in  consequence 
of  the  fewness  of  Catholics,  and  the  fie'ld  seemed  not 
ready  for  cultivation.  The  Holy  See,  in  consequence 
of  B'shop  Kelly's  declining  health  and  great  merits. 


270  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

translated  him  to  his  native  country,  and  to  the  Episcopal 
See  of  Waterford  and  Lismore,  whither  he  returned  in 
July,  1822.  The  See  of  Richmond,  Virginia,  was  placed 
under  the  administration  of  Archbishop  Marechal,  who 
always  regarded  this  dismemberment  of  his  diocese  as 
premature.  Bishop  Kelly  administered  the  diocese  of 
Waterford  and  Lismore  for  seven  years  with  ability  and 
zeal,  and  was  venerated  as  a  holy  Bishop.  He  died 
October  8,  1829. 


RIGHT  REV.  JOHN  ENGLAND,  D.D., 

First  Bishop  of  Charleston,  A.D.  1820.* 

BISHOP  ENGLAND  has  been  called  "the  light  of  the 
American  Hierarchy."  His  profound  learning,  vigor  of 
thought,  energy  of  action,  irresistible  eloquence,  religious 
zeal  and  fervor,  talents  for  administration,  and  enlighten- 
ed enterprise,  made  his  influence  and  usefulness  in  ec- 
clesiastical affairs  very  great.  He  was  also  distinguished 
for  the  dazzling  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  that  make  up 
the  citizen  and  the  patriot.  Had  his  lot  been  cast  among 
the  first  ages  of  Christianity,  or  in  the  Ages  of  Faith,  or 
in  the  times  of  the  so-called  Reformation,  he  would  have 
ranked  among  the  foremost  men  and  heroes  of  heroic 
times. 

John  England  was  born  at  Cork,  Ireland,  September 
23,  1786.  His  boyhood  was  in  the  days  of  his  country's 
trial  and  persecution ;  and  the  wrongs  he  saw  and  suffer- 
ed made  a  lasting  impression  upon  his  mind  and  charac- 
ter, and  influenced  greatly  the  conduct  of  his  entire  life. 
His  parents  were  respectable  people,  possessed  of  a 
worldly  competency,  and  belonged  to  the  great  mass  of 
the  Irish  Catholics  who  suffered  so  severely  at  the  hands 
of  England,  in  their  faith,  goods,  liberty,  peace,  and  po- 
litical rights.  His  grandfather  was  among  those  who 
went  to  prison  for  his  faith  and  his  honor;  and  as  the 
patriot  entered  his  cell,  his  wife,  stripped  of  the  last  rem- 
nant of  land  and  goods,  and  carried  in  her  last  illness 

*  Authorities:  Memoir  of  Bishop  England,  by  Wm.  George  Read,  and  other  notices, 
p-.ihlished  in  the  Bishop's  Works ;   Catholic  Magazines  and  Metropolitans,  etc.  etc. 


272  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

under  the  roof  of  a  kind  neighbor,  died,  and  was  buried 
by  strangers.  Their  oldest  son,  then  in  his  seven- 
teenth year,  became  a  parent  to  his  four  brothers  and 
sisters,  whom,  he  supported  by  teaching  school.  But 
it  was  then  unlawful  for  a  "  Papist "  to  teach  even  the 
neutral  science  of  geometry,  though  his  generous  efforts 
were  designed  to  relieve  his  father  and  little  brothers  and 
sisters.  There  were  not  wanting  informers  to  prompt 
.  the  government ;  he  was,  however,  in  consequence  of 
his  youth,  allowed  an  opportunity  of  extricating  himself 
from  the  punishment  denounced  against  .his  offence, 
which  was  transportation,  by  swearing  before  the  Prot- 
estant Bishop  that  he  did  not  believe  in  the  doctrines 
of  Transubstantiation,  Penance,  and  the  Invocation  of 
Saints.  But  to  him  death  would  have  been  preferable 
to  perjury.  He  succeeded  in  making  his  escape  to  the 
mountains,  where  the  charity  of  those  whose  children 
he  instructed  stealthily  enabled  him  to  subsist.  After  a 
year  he  secretly  returned  to  the  city,  gradually  got  into 
employment  as  a  land  surveyor,  supported  his  family  of 
father,  brothers,  and  sisters,  and  finally  succeeded  in  re- 
leasing his  father  from  an  imprisonment  which  had  last- 
ed four  years.  The  American  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence, and  the  success  which  attended  the  efforts  of  the 
American  patriots,  tended  to  mitigate  somewhat  the 
cruelty  of  England  to  Ireland,  and  this  young  patriot 
son  succeeded  in  building  up  a  home,  a  family,  and  a 
competency. 

John  England  was  the  eldest  son  of  such  a  father,  and 
inherited,  in  a  great  degree,  his  parent's  faith,  fidelity, 
and  courage.  The  school  of  persecution,  in  which  they 
were  nurtured,  directed  the  hearts  of  Mr.  England's 
children  to  lofty  and  holy  aspirations ;  for  his  own  family 


Right  Rev.  John  England,  D.D.  273 

contributed  two  priests  and  one  religious  to  the  Church. 
Young  England  was  trained  up  by  his  parents  in  the 
most  tender  piety.  When  they  approached  the  sacred 
tribunal  of  penance,  they  were  accompanied  by  their 
little  children,  and  after  these  had  made  their  first  com- 
munion, they  all  regularly  knelt  and  received  together 
"the  bread  of  angels."  In  the  afflicted  condition  of  his 
country  at  that  time,  young  John  England  had  to  attend 
the  school  of  a  Protestant  teacher:  it  was  a  choice  be- 
tween this  and  no  school  at  all.  Here  his  young  soul 
was  subjected  to  persecution  for  his  faith ;  for  the  bigoted 
teacher  used  to  apply  to  him,  publicly  before  the  whole 
school,  the  insulting  but  truly  glorious  title  of  "  the  little 
Papist"  and  thus  expose  him  to  the  contempt  of  his  as- 
sociates. With  his  natural  loftiness  of  character,  it  was 
difficult  for  the  young  Catholic  to  bear  these  insults ;  but 
he  proved  then,  as  he  did  in  his  after  life,  the  truth  of 
the  inspired  maxim,  "  It  is  good  for  a  man,  when  he  hath 
borne  the  yoke  from  his  youth."  Many  years  afterwards, 
when  a  priest,  and  just  as  he  was  entering  a  church  to 
offer  up  the  holy  sacrifice,  Mr.  England  suddenly  met 
this  persecutor  of  his  childhood :  at  once  the  memory 
of  a  long  chain  of  injuries  flashed  upon  him,  and  the 
spirit  of  natural  resentment  seemed  to  choke  his  soul ; 
but  he  was  then  a  minister  of  the  God  of  love  and 
charity, — he  rushed  into  the  temple,  fell  upon  his 
knees,  and,  though  the  struggle  was  a  hard  and 
bitter  one,  his  prayer  triumphed ;  he  ascended  the  altar 
with  his  gift,  and  was  at  peace  with  his  neighbor  and 
himself,  and  with  his  Creator. 

The  profession  of  law  was  young  England's  first  at- 
tempt at  practical  business  life.     He  entered  the  office 
of  an  eminent  barrister,  under  whom   he   pursued   his 
18 


274  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

legal  studies  for  two  years.  The  beneficial  effects  of 
these  studies  were  ever  afterwards  apparent  in  his  public 
life.  His  practical  intuition  into  human  motives  and  con- 
duct, his  ability  in  administration,  his  subtle  logic,  ready 
wisdom,  and  close  powers  of  argument,  were  all  greatly 
traceable  to  his  legal  studies.  But  the  designs  of  Provi- 
dence, and  his  own  pious  inclinations,  soon  attracted  this 
noble  youth  to  the  sanctuary.  When  once  asked  by  a 
friend  in  this  country,  "how  a  temperament  so  ardent, 
and  talents  so  eminently  adapted  to  civic  or  military  pur- 
suits, could  have  found  their  way  to  the  sanctuary?"  he 
answered  that,  "though  she  never  told  him  of  it  till  after 
his  ordination,  his  mother  took  him  to  the  temple,  in  his 
infancy,  and  offered  him  to  God."  As  an  evidence  that 
God  accepted  the  offering,  and  prepared  the  heart  of  the 
young  Levite,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  it  was  himself 
that,  in  response  to  his  father's  solicitude  in  calling  his 
attention  to  the  subject  of  choosing  a  profession,  made 
known  first  his  unalterable  purpose  of  dedicating  him- 
self to  God.  His  excellent  parents  encouraged  him  in 
this  noble  resolution,  and  soon  afterwards,  at  his  own 
request,  and  with  the  approval  of  his  Bishop,  he  was 
placed  at  the  Theological  College  of  Carlow.  Here  his 
piety  grew  with  his  rapid  progress  in  his  studies.  Pro- 
fessors and  companions  admired  his  shining  talents,  his 
fine  bearing,  and  his  sincere  devotion.  In  after  life,  he 
often  recurred  with  gratitude  to  his  professors  at  Carlow, 
and  especially  commended  their  wisdom  in  instilling  so 
deeply  into  the  souls  of  their  students  a  solid  and  inde- 
pendent spirit  of  religion,  that  when  they  entered  the 
world,  and  were  no  longer  surrounded  and  fortified  by 
the  presence  of  preceptors,  and  the  encouragements  of 
sodalities  and  other  pious  influences,  they  could  still  per- 


Right  Rev.   John  England \  D.D.  275 

severe  undaunted  in  the  profession  and  practice  of  re- 
iigion.  In  the  second  year  after  his  entrance  into 
Carlow,  he  delivered  catechetical  instructions  in  the 
chapel  for  the  children,  but  they  were  so  attractive  that 
they  soon  were  attended  by  throngs  of  adults  from  the 
neighborhood.  He  also  devoted  much  of  his  time  for 
recreation  to  the  instruction  of  the  Cork  Militia,  then 
stationed  at  Carlow.  In  this  he  met  with  opposition 
from  some  bigots,  who  procured  a  court-martial  to  try 
those  who  attended,  which  resulted  in  the  approval  of 
the  ministry  of  this  young  apostle.  He  also  left  behind 
him  at  Carlow  enduring  monuments  of  his  zeal  and  be- 
nevolence, He  there  founded  an  asylum  for  unprotected 
females,  which  afterwards  suggested  the  plan  of  the 
Presentation  Convent.  He  also  established  "  schools 
for  the  free  and  correct  education  of  poor  boys."  So 
much  were  his  talents  appreciated  at  this  early  period, 
before  he  was  formally  admitted  to  the  degree  of  a  licen- 
tiate in  theology,  that  the  Bishop  of  Carlow  employed 
him  in  the  delivery  of  moral  lectures  in  his  Cathedral 
during  Lent.  But  the  venerable  Bishop  of  Cork,  Dr. 
Moylan,  in  1808,  recalled  him  to  his  own  diocese,  and 
appointed  the  student  of  theology  President  of  the  Dio- 
cesan Theological  Seminary  at  Cork.  Dr.  Moylan  had 
already  obtained  a  dispensation  permitting  Mr.  England 
to  be  raised  to  the  priesthood,  before  attaining  the  ca- 
nonical age  of  twenty-five.  On  the  gth  of  October, 
1808,  he  conferred  deaconship  upon  him,  and  on  the 
following  day  ordained  him  a  priest.  The  Bishop  an 
nounced  from  the  altar  that  he  had  appointed  Mr.  Eng 
land  to  lecture  in  the  Cathedral  on  the  Old  and  New 
Testament.  It  was  in  this  position  that  he  matured  and 
perfected  that  brilliant  and  irresistible  pulpit  oratory 


276  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

which  instructed,    electrified,    and    subdued   thousands, 
both  in  his  native  and  his  adopted  countries. 

He  was  also  appointed  chaplain  to  the  prisons  of  Cork, 
and  in  these  sad  schools  "  he  became  intimately  versed  in 
the  political  misery  of  his  countrymen,  and  the  diabolical 
machinations  by  which  their  tyrants  tortured,  degraded, 
plundered,  and  enslaved  them."  His  own  generous  mind 
alone  remembered,  and  his  own  eloquent  tongue  alone 
could  describe,  the  scenes  of  woe  and  suffering  he  wit- 
nessed in  these  political  prisons.  But  the  relation  now 
of  two  of  these  scenes  will  suffice  to  recall  the  good  re- 
sults and  efficacy  of  his  ministry.  On  entering  one  day 
a  cell  on  his  round  of  visits,  he  beheld  a  fellow-creature 
raving  in  despair  :  he  heard  the  most  frightful  impreca- 
tions, now  against  himself,  now  against  the  treacherous 
government  that  had  betrayed  him  ;  he  seemed  on  the 
verge  of  the  wildest  insanity.  The  soothing  voice  of 
Christian  sympathy,  so  unusual  in  such  places,  at  first 
startled  and  surprised,  but  having  chained  his  attention, 
it  soothed  the  troubled  spirit,  and  soon  the  prisoner  was 
pouring  forth  his  tale  of  misery  to  his  kind  visitor.  It 
was  a  long  and  sad  story  ;  suffice  it  to  say,  he  had  so  long 
been  employed  in  the  secret  service  of  the  government, 
that  he  became  possessed  of  too  many  of  its  dark  secrets- 
he  was  decoyed,  betrayed,  imprisoned,  and  his  fate  was 
sealed.  Mr.  England,  with  his  knowledge  of  law  and 
clear  perception  of  the  case  the  prisoner  related,  assured 
him  there  was  hope  of  his  making  a  successful  defence, 
and  promised  to  return  the  following  day  with  counsel  to 
take  his  case.  The  government  heard  of  this  interview  ; 
when  the  priest  and  the  counsel  repaired  to  the  jail  the 
following  day,  the  prisoner  had  been  spirited  away.  Many 
years  afterwards,  when  Bishop  of  Charleston,  Dr.  Eng- 


Right  Rev.  John  England,  D.D.  277 

land  heard  from  the  prisoner,  who  had  been  sent  to  a 
remote  part  of  India,  and  though  he  would  never  see 
again  his  native  country,  his  heart  had  arisen  above  de- 
spair, and  he  lived  in  the  hope  of  one  day  seeing  the 
heavenly  country  of  eternal  liberty  and  unalloyed  delight. 
On  another  occasion  he  visited  a  noble  youth,  who 
was  the  only  support  of  his  widowed  mother ;  his  pre- 
vious life  was  blameless,  and  still  more,  remarkable  for 
piety:  he  had  been  inveigled  into  robbing  a  government 
arsenal  of  some  arms  ;  it  was  an  act  rather  of  political 
retaliation,  than  of  robbery  ;  he  was  arrested,  convicted, 
and  condemned  to  death.  The  ministry  of  Mr.  England 
was  offered ;  the  young  man  was  erroneously  led  to  be- 
lieve that  the  forfeit  of  his  life  left  him  the  owner  of  the 
arms,  which  were  still  concealed,  and  their  location  made 
known  only  to  his  mother,  who  also  claimed  that  by  the 
same  title  he  could  make  them  hers.  Mr.  England,  on 
the  other  hand,  was  bound  to  require  the  restitution  of 
the  arms,  as  a  condition  for  giving  absolution.  The 
prisoner  openly  avowed  to  all  his  determination  not  to 
restore  them.  The  ministry  of  the* chaplain  was  ineffec- 
tual, he  departed  from  the  prison,  and  the  preparations 
were  made  for  the  execution.  At  length  the  day  for  the 
execution  came,  the  fatal  cord  was  placed  around  the  neck 
of  the  prisoner,  who  went  undaunted  to  die  like  a  man  • 
he  did  not  then  know  how  impossible  it  is  to  die  like  a 
man,  unless  one  dies  like  a  Christian.  Mr.  England, 
who  knew  well  how  to  adopt  means  suited  to  each  oc- 
casion in  life,  at  that  moment  stood  before  the  prisoner, 
his  eye  penetrating  the  soul  and  his  voice  striking  ter- 
ror, he  said,  "  Stop,  sir !  you  shall  not  go  to  hell  for  half 
;.n  hour  yet !  "  "  How  could  you  speak  so  to  a  dying 
man  ?"  said  the  prisoner.  "  You  know,"  said  the  priest, 


278  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

"  I  speak  the  truth,  and  that  I  should  not  do  my  duty  it 
I  did  not."  The  brave  heart  was  moved,  and  the  strong 
will  was  bended — the  veil  of  the  confessional  now  drop- 
ped between  the  world  and  the  priest  with  his  penitent — 
all  that  we  know  is  that  the  victim  came  forth  from  that 
tribunal  a  penitent,  and  died  like  a  Christian. 

Mr.  England's  personal  knowledge  and  association  with 
the  wrongs  of  his  countrymen  made  him  a  patriot,  not 
only  in  sentiment,  but  in  act  and  deed.  He  saw  in 
those  wrongs  a  persecution  against  religion  and  the 
Church,  and  hence  it  was  that  he  was  forced  to  become 
a  defender  and  protector  of  his  persecuted  country  and 
Church.  Those  who  might  feel  disposed  to  censure  his 
course  in  this  respect,  and  to  regard  it  as  an  unbecoming 
meddling  of  the  priest  with  politics,  will  find  an  ample 
answer  and  defence  to  their  censure  in  the  circumstances 
and  motives  alluded  to  above.  It  was  with  this  motive 
that,  against  the  advice  of  his  friends,  he  purchased  and 
became  the  editor  of  the  "  Cork  Mercantile  Chronicle" 
the  failing  organ  of  the  liberal  party,  and  with  this 
weapon,  opposed  the  subsidizing  of  the  Irish  clergy  by 
the  British  Government,  until  the  odious  measure  was 
defeated ;  it  was  with  this  motive  that  he  used  his  paper 
to  correct  the  mistaken  views  of  the  liberal  party  itself, 
which  had  become  tainted  with  the  errors  of  the  French 
Revolution,  and  at  the  same  time  to  expose  and  denounce 
the  horrible  state  of  the  Irish  prisons  and  the  savage 
treatment  of  the  unfortunate  transports.  In  this  last  ser- 
vice to  his  country,  "  He  gave  to  the  world  the  truth, '  says 
one  of  his  biographers,*  "  and  nothing  but  the  truth,  and 
for  this  he  was  mulcted  for  a  libel  in  the  round  sum  of 

*  Memoir  of  Bishop  England,  by  Wm.  George  Read,  Esq. 


Right  Rev.  John  England,  D.D.  279 

five  hundred  pounds  sterling.  But  gold  and  silver  he 
had  none;  the  cell  in  which  his  grandfather  had  been 
incarcerated  for  teaching  the  elements  of  Euclid  must 
be  the  priest's  state-room  until  the  fine  shall  have  been 
paid."  It  was  with  the  above  motives  that  he  exerted 
himself,  and  to  this  end  accepted  the  position  of  chair- 
man to  manage  the  election  on  the  part  of  the  liberals, 
to  procure  the  registry  of  the  liberal  voters,  the  supres- 
sion  of  bribery,  and  the  independence  of  the  ballot- 
box. 

Mr.  England  was  on  intimate  terms  with  the  illustrious 
O'Connell ;  Ireland  may  well  be  proud  of  her  great 
peaceful  "  Agitator,"  and  of  her  Patriot  Priest.  It  is  re- 
lated that  on  one  occasion,  during  the  absence  of  the 
reverend  editor  of  the  Chronicle,  Mr.  O'Connell  went 
with  the  freedom  of  friendship  into  the  editorial  office  and 
wrote  a  scorching  article.  The  government  resented 
the  offence  ;  the  only  person  in  the  office  who  could 
identify  Mr.  O'Connoll's  handwriting  was  a  Protestant 
journeyman,  but  the  government  found  him  "  true  as 
steel  "  to  the  secrets  of  the  establishment ;  the  law  held 
the  editor  responsible  in  the  absence  of  proof  as  to  the 
real  author,  but,  by  a  providential  slip,  the  license  had  ex- 
pired the  day  before  the  article  appeared,  and  was  not 
renewed  until  the  day  after,  so  the  editor  escaped  ;  in 
this  quandary  the  Protestant  journey  man  was  arrested  and 
thrown  in  prison.  During  his  imprisonment  his  family 
were  supported  by  the  liberals,  until  they,  catching  a 
hint  that  the  prisoner  was  only  detained  in  order  thus  to 
exhaust  their  scanty  means,  cut  off  the  supplies  to  the 
man's  family  ;  and  immediately  the  prisoner  was  released. 

While  Catholic  Emancipation  in  Ireland  was  chiefly 
accomplished  by  Mr:  O'Connell's  eloquent  voice,  the 


280  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

same  cause  was  greatly  promoted  by  Dr.  England's 
powerful  pen. 

But  his  civil  occupations  were  the  mere  pastimes  for 
the  hours  he  could  spare  from  his  more  sacred  duties. 
The  former  never  interfered  with  the  latter.  In  1812, 
Dr.  Moylan  appointed  Mr.  England  President  of  the 
Diocesan  Seminary  of  St.  Mary,  designed  for  the  col- 
legiate and  theological  course  of  young  candidates  for 
the  holy  ministry.  In  1813  he  performed  the  principal 
part  of  the  ministerial  functions  growing  out  of  the 
Jubilee  granted  by  the  Holy  Father  to  the  Catholics  of 
Cork,  on  the  completion  of  their  new  cathedral.  On  one 
occasion  he  was,  by  an  apparently  miraculous  interposi- 
tion, saved  from  death  in  a  violent  snow-storm,  which  he 
attempted  to  breast  in  his  anxiety  to  press  forward  to  the 
post  where  duty  called  him.  The  venerable  and  excel- 
lent Bishop  Moylan  was  exceedingly  attached  to  Mr. 
England,  and  resisted  the  most  strenuous  and  repeated 
efforts  made  to  secure  his  services  in  other  fields.  Even 
to  Mr.  England's  intimations  that  he  wished  to  be  sent 
to  a  more  active  and  useful  post  of  duty,  the  good 
Bishop  always  replied  that  he  could  never  consent  to 
part  with  him.  In  1815  Mr.  England  sustained  the  loss 
of  this  venerable  and  saintly  friend,  who,  ripe  in  years 
and  merits,  went  to  his  eternal  reward. 

On  the  death  of  Bishop  Moylan,  the  Right  Rev.  Dr. 
Murphy  succeeded  as  Bishop  of  Cork.  This  Prelate  ap- 
pointed Dr.  England,  in  1817,  parish  priest  of  the  parish 
of  Bandon,  the  seat  of  such  bitter  prejudice  and  bigotry, 
that  by  an  inscription  over  its  entrance,  "  The  Turk,  the 
Atheist,  and  the  Jew"  were  welcomed,  but  "the  Papist" 
was  warned  to  keep  away.  Mr.  England  entered  there 
a  "  Papist,"  it  is  true,  but  also  as  a  minister  of  peace. 


Right  Rev.  John  England,  D.D.  281 

While  he  announced  the  truths  of  Catholicity  with  his 
matchless  eloquence,  his  conciliating  manner,  high  Chris- 
tian charity,  and  manly  frankness,  united  men  of  every 
shade  of  opinion,  and  won  for  himself  universal  confi- 
dence and  respect.  An  occurrence  on  this  mission  will 
illustrate  his  characteristic  and  courageous  devotion  to 
duty.  He  was  summoned  in  the  dead  hour  of  night  to 
a  distant  sick  call,  through  a.  dangerous  country,  and  in 
a  most  bigoted  neighborhood.  Though  he  suspected 
evil,  he  obeyed  the  call  of  duty;  arrived  safely  by  a  cir- 
cuitous route  at  the  bedside  of  the  dying  penitent,  and 
in  the  midst  of  danger  and  hostility  from  the  family,  con- 
ferred all  the  last  consolations  of  religion,  and  cheered 
the  parting  soul  onward  to  the  portals  of  the  heavenly 
paradise.  He  saw  at  once  the  plan  by  which  he  was  to 
be  murdered.  Following  the  same  faithful  guidance,  he 
gained  the  highroad  at  a  point  beyond  the  hiding-place 
of  the  concealed  conspirators,  and,  as  he  pressed  forward 
with  undaunted  cheerfulness,  he  "gave  them  the  good- 
morrow,  as  the  dawn  was  breaking,  with  that  cheering 
glee  and  merry  triumph  that  few  but  an  Irishman  can  feel 
in  the  very  presence  of  his  intended  assassins."  His 
mission  at  Bandon  was  productive  of  the  happiest  re- 
sults, for  we  are  told  that  "six  years'  incessant  labor,  his 
benevolence,  his  great  powers  of  mind,  his  liberality, 
and  peculiarly  happy  manner  of  explaining  the  principles 
of  his  religion,  enabled  the  young  priest  to  remove  the 
existing  prejudices,  and  bring  together  in  a  social  band 
of  brotherhood  the  Catholics  and  Protestants  of  the 
town  and  district  of  Bandon." 

Dr.  England's  name  had  already  been  mentioned  by 
some  of  the  Irish  Bishops  in  connection  with  the  epis 
copal  dignity.     While  he  did  not  shrink  from  a  position 


282  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

so  becoming  to  his  talents  and  usefulness,  he  declared 
that  he  would  never  wear  a  mitre  in  any  country  that 
was  subject  to  the  British  flag.  The -American  Union 
had  in  the  mean  time  been  expanding  into  a  great  and 
powerful  Republic,  and  the  Church  in  America  had  more 
than  kept  pace  with  the  country:  there  many  of  his 
countrymen  had  found  refuge  from  British  oppression, 
and  the  British  flag  was  never  to  float  over  its  vast  ex- 
panse again.  In  the  multiplication  of  episcopal  sees  in 
the  United  States  that  of  Charleston  was  now  created, 
and  Dr.  England  was  nominated  and  appointed  its  first 
Bishop.  He  had  previously,  at  Carlow,  made  a  private 
consecration  of  himself  to  the  Almighty  for  a  foreign 
mission,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
Mary.  He  accepted  the  appointment,  and  thenceforth 
all  his  thoughts,  all  his  affections,  seemed  to  centre  in 
America.  So  thoroughly  American  did  his  feelings  from 
that  moment  become,  that  the  usual  oath  of  allegiance 
administered  at  their  consecration  to  Bishops  who  were 
British  subjects  was  positively  declined  by  him.  He  in- 
tended as  an  American  Prelate  to  become  an  American 
citizen  as  soon  as  the  laws  would  permit,  and  regarded 
the  oath  as  repugnant  to  the  new  allegiance  of  his  choice. 
The  consecrating  Bishop  at  first  hesitated  about  omitting 
this  customary  ceremony,  but  finding  the  Bishop  elect 
determined  to  seek  consecration  elsewhere,  before  he 
would  yield  this  point,  consented  to  the  omission.  Bishop 
England  was  consecrated  at  the  parish  church  of  St. 
Finbar's,  in  his  native  city,  September  21,  1820,  by  the 
Right  Rev.  Dr.  Murphy,  Bishop  of  Cork,  assisted  by 
Dr.  Marum,  Bishop  of  Ossory,  and  Dr.  Kelly,  Bishop 
of  Richmond,  Virginia.  Accompanied  by  his  youngest 
sister,  who  resolved  to  share  his  perils  and  privations,  he 


Right  Rev.  John  England,  D.D.  283 

embarked  from  Belfast,  and,  after  a  tempestuous  and  dan- 
gerous voyage,  arrived  at  Charleston  December  30,  1820. 

The  new  diocese  of  Charleston  embraced  the  States 
of  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  and  Georgia.  These 
States  had  been  settled  by  English  Protestants,  who 
brought  with  them  the  prejudices  of  their  age  and  coun- 
try, which  were  not  at  all  mitigated  by  the  presence  of 
the  Huguenots,  who  were  afterwards  added  to  the  popu- 
lation of  those  States.  At  the  time  of  our  Revolution, 
there  were  comparatively  but  few  Catholics  in  the  United 
Colonies,  and  these  had  an  insufficient  ministry.  That 
the  people  of  those  States  held  the  usual  prejudices  of 
Protestants,  we  know  from  the  account  we  have  re- 
ceived of  the  tarring  and  feathering  of  two  Irish  Catho- 
lics at  Charleston,  in  1775,  accused  of  conspiring  with 
the  negroes  against  the  liberties  of  the  country.  The 
toleration  of  the  Catholic  religion  in  the  neighboring 
colony  of  Canada,  was  one"  of  the  charges  against 
George  III.,  and  that  monarch  and  his  ministers  were 
"shown  forth  in  the  same  city  as  under  the  influence  of 
the  Pope  and  the  devil,  and  in  their  joint  keeping." 
These  impressions  concerning  Catholics  placed,  and  for 
some  years  retained,  in  the  statute  books  qf  these  States, 
Jaws  disqualifying  Catholics  from  holding  office ;  but 
these  blots  upon  our  State  escutcheons  have,  with  per- 
haps the  only  exception  of  New  Hampshire,  long  since 
disappeared.  The  Methodists  and  Episcopalians  were 
the  controlling  sects  in  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia. 

The  first  celebration  of  the  Holy  Mass  in  Charleston 
was  by  an  Italian  priest  in  1786,  chaplain  on  a  ship  bound 
for  South  America,  which  had  put  into  the  port  for  a 
short  time.  The  few  Catholics  then  resident  in  Charles- 
ton invited  this  priest  to  celebrate  Mass  for  them,  which 


284  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

he  did  at  the  house  of  an  Irish  Catholic,  in  the  presence 
of  a  congregation  of  twelve  persons.  In  a  year  or  two 
afterwards,  an  Irish  priest  named  O'Reily,  passing 
through  Charleston,  on  his  way  to  the  West  Indies  for 
his  health,  exercised  his  ministry  for  their  benefit. 
Shortly  afterwards  another  Irish  priest  came  among 
them,  and  in  1789  these  good  people  commenced  the 
work  of  acquiring  a  church.  They  purchased,  with  the 
assistance  of  their  fellow-citizens,  a  dilapidated  Methodist 
meeting-house,  which  they  repaired  and  fitted  up  for 
Divine  service.  In  1790  the  last  vestige  of  discrimina- 
tion against  Catholics  was  removed  from  the  Constitution 
of  South  Carolina,  and  in  1791  the  Catholic  Church  of 
Charleston  was  incorporated  by  the  Legislature.  Here- 
tofore these  States  had  been  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  Vicar  Apostolic  of  the  London  district.  The  de- 
parture of  Mr.  Keeting  for  Philadelphia  left  this  little 
but  devoted  flock  again  without  a  pastor.  On  the  as- 
sumption of  jurisdiction  by  Bishop  Carroll,  the  Catholics 
of  Charleston  addressed  their  congratulations  and  peti- 
tions to  their  Prelate,  who  was  compelled  to  defer  grant- 
ing them  a  priest  until  he  could  secure  the  services  of 
more  laborers  in  his  immense  diocese,  but  exhorted  them 
to  perseverance  and  piety.  Separated  six  hundred  miles 
from  the  nearest  priest,  this  little  congregation  kept  their 
faith.  In  1793,  Rev.  S.  F.  O'Gallagher,  a  native  of  Dub- 
lin, a  man  of  extraordinary  eloquence,  superior  intellect, 
and  cultivated  mind,  came  to  Charleston  by  the  authority 
of  Bishop  Carroll,  and  labored  to  collect  together  the 
flock  and  repair  the  church.  His  salary  as  a  teacher  in 
Charleston  College  relieved  the  poor  Catholics  of  his 
support  while  he  discharged  the  duties  of  their  pastor. 
The  Catholic  congregation  of  Charleston  was  somewhat 


Right  Rev.  John  England,  D.D.  285 

increased  by  a  few  Catholic  settlers  from  Maryland,  and 
some  refugees  from  the  massacre  of  St.  Domingo.  In 
time  the  old  frame  church  was  replaced  w-ith  a  brick 
temple.  The  Church  of  Charleston  afterwards  became 
distracted  with  dissensions,  which  were  finally  healed  by 
the  advent  thither  of  Dr.  Fenwick.*  The  Rev.  Mi. 
Cloriviere  was  sent  by  Archbishop  Carroll  as  pastor  at 
Charleston.  He  remained  till  1819,  when  Charleston 
was  erected  into  an  Episcopal  See.  He  then  returned  to 
the  diocese  of  Baltimore. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  imagine,  and  yet  too  extensive 
a  task  to  portray,  the  difficulties  of  Dr.  England  dn  his 
arrival  at  his  see.  The  Episcopal  Church  was  ancient, 
highly  endowed,  and  aristocratic;  the  courtly  garments 
of  the  royal  colonial  time  still  hung  around  it,  and  itYe- 
posed  in  the  security  of  its  superior  wealth,  power,  and 
worldly  respectability.  It  was  Bishop  England's  duty 
to  announce  to  a  proud  and  cultivated  community  a 
Church  more  ancient,  more  venerable,  more  magnificent, 
and  more  powerful.  Hospitable,  open-hearted,  and  re- 
fined as  were  the  Carolinians,  they  were  sensitive  and 
traditional.  It  required  such  a  master-spirit  as  Bishop 
England  to  do  his  whole  duty  under  such  circumstances  : 
and  while  doing  it,  offend  no  one,  but  rather  conciliate 
all.  His  success  is  one  of  the  noblest  triumphs  of  the 
Church  in  this  Republic.  He  found  on  his  arrival  there 
were  but  two  churches  open,  and  but  two  priests  in  the 
three  States.  His  people  were  chiefly  poor  emigrants 
from  his  own  country,  and  ruined  refugees  from  St.  Do- 
mingo, and  servants.  In  worldly  respectability,  wealth, 
and  cultivation,  they  were  greatly  inferior  to  the  landed 

•  See  infra  the  Life  of  Right  Rev.  B.  J.  Kenwick,  Bishop  of  Boston. 


286  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

gentry,  and  to  the  refined  and  cultivated  descendants  of 
the  cavaliers.  Indeed,  the  Catholic  body  did  not  appear 
to  attract  any  notice ;  it  was  only  to  the  eye  of  faith  that 
the  little  mustard-seed  was  visible.  The  anointed  herald 
of  the  cross  came  bravely  up  to  his  work ;  first  giving 
his  earnest  attention  to  his  own  flock,  which  was  not  in 
the  best  discipline,  he  was  indefatigable  in  his  exertions 
to  arouse  them  from  their  lethargy,  to  re-create  "in  their 
minds  the  pure  traditions  of  the  Church,  to  rekindle  in 
their  hearts  the  true  fire  of  religion,  and  to  rehabilitate 
them  as  men,  citizens,  and  Christians.  No  portion  of 
his  vast  diocese  escaped  his  vigilance,  and  his  visitations 
to  its  principal  cities  commenced  almost  immediately. 
Churches  began  to  rise  up  around  him,  and  the  diocese 
of  Charleston  began  to  assume  a  comely  form.  A  con- 
stitution was  prepared  and  adopted  by  him,  and  the 
diocese  became  incorporated.  Wherever  he  found  a 
few  Catholic  families  in  a  city  or  town,  he  called  them 
together  and  organized  them,  and  encouraged  them  to 
hold  together  until  he  could  send  them  a  pastor,  relying 
in  the  mean  time  upon  his  own  occasional  visits  among 
them  and  those  of  his  assistants.  He  administered 
confirmation  for  the  first  time  in  the  church  at  Charleston, 
and  had  the  gratification  of  witnessing  the  rapid  increase 
in  the  number  of  communicants.  He  had  ordained  two 
priests  in  Ireland  for  the  diocese  of  Charleston,  one  of 
whom,  Rev.  Mr.  Corkery,  accompanied  him  over.  One 
of  his  first  steps  was  to  take  measures  for  supplying  his 
diocese  with  priests.  Within  the  first  two  years  of  his 
episcopacy,  the  return  of  Dr.  Fenwick  to  his  own  society, 
the  untimely  death  of  Mr.  Corkery,  the  departure  of  Dr. 
O'Gallagher  to  a  more  southern  post  beyond  the  diocese, 
and  the  departure  of  other  priests,  whose  services  he 


Right  Rev.  John  England,  D.D.  287 

had  secured,  left  the  Bishop  almost  alone"  again  in  his 
extensive  fold. 

With  the  view  of  providing  a  clergy  of  his  own  for  the 
diocese,  several  candidates  having  applied  to  him,  he 
opened  at  Charleston  a  classical  school,  in  which  these 
candidates  for  the  holy  ministry  were  made  teachers, 
while  they  pursued  their  theological  studies  under  the 
Bishop  himself.  The  school  received  numerous  scholars 
from  the  best  families  of  the  city,  and  yielded  a  sufficient 
income  to  support  these  theological  students  while  pre- 
paring for  the  priesthood.  The  exercises  of  the  school, 
and  its  public  exhibitions,  gave  universal  satisfaction  to 
its  fr-iends  and  patrons — the  scholars  increased  to  about 
one  hundred  and  thirty,  and  the  Bishop,  encouraged  by 
the  bright  prospects  before  him,  incurred  a  heavy  liability 
in  securing  the  services  of  additional  teachers  of  the 
highest  capacity.  At  this  juncture  the  pent-up  bigotry 
of  the  opposing  sects  burst  forth  into  a  storm  of  oppo- 
sition against  the  school,  and  in  general  against  "the 
errors  and  deformities  of  Popery."  The  press  and  the 
pulpit  rang  with  the  denunciations  of  fanaticism,  and 
Protestants  were  told  that  they  were  taxing  themselves 
to  set  up  "  the  Romish  Church,"  and  to  educate  a  Romish 
clergy.  The  public  assurances  of  the  Bishop  that  his 
school  was  exclusively  classical,  and  that  no  religious 
instructions  or  exercises  were  introduced  or  used,  had 
no  effect.  Protestantism  had  taken  the  alarm ;  the  Prot- 
estant schools  were  reopened,  the  College  of  Charleston, 
which  had  suspended  for  some  time,  was  revived,  and  a 
new  impetus  given  to  sectarianism.  The  Bishop's  school 
and  Seminary,  though  enfeebled,  was  not  annihilated;  it 
continued  to  bestow  a  thorough  classical  and  mathe- 
matical education  upon  the  students  who  resorted  to  it, 


288  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

and  support  the  ecclesiastical  Seminary.  This  Seminary 
trained  up  an  educated  and  able  clergy  for  the  diocese  of 
Charleston,  and  prepared  for  the  ministry  some  of  the 
ablest  clergymen  of  other  dioceses. 

The  scarcity  of  priests  rendered  the  labors  of  the 
Bishop  and  of  his  clergy  very  arduous.  The  Bishop 
•himself  had  to  perform  the  labors  and  endure  the  hard- 
ships of  a  missionary  priest.  The  visits  he  paid  to  a 
small  circle  of  Catholics,  and  even  to  a  single  family, 
were  frequently  a  hundred  miles,  and  these  long  journeys 
were  frequently  undertaken  to  baptize,  confirm,  or  admin- 
ister the  sacraments  of  penance,  holy  communion,  or 
extreme  unction,  upon  a  single  individual.  When  the 
Bishop  arrived  at  any  town  or  village,  he  was  usually 
waited  upon  by  a  body  of  the  principal  citizens,  who  in- 
vited him  to  preach  in  public,  and  procured  for  him  a 
church,  court-house,  school-house,  or  other  convenient 
place.  These  opportunities  were  readily  embraced  by 
the  zealous  and  indefatigable  Prelate,  for  the  purpose  of 
explaining  the  public  service  and  ceremonies  of  the 
Church,  defending  her  tenets  against  misrepresentation 
and  error,  and  presenting  to  the  minds  of  a  people  who 
had  never  heard  before,  but  yet  willing  to  listen  to,  "  the 
lessons  of  the  eternal  Gospel  of  the  Redeemer."  It  was, 
however,  chiefly  among  the  educated  and  refined  inhab- 
itants of  the  city  of  Charleston,  that  the  brilliancy  of 
his  eloquence,  the  persuasion  of  his  arguments,  and  the 
thunders  of  his  magnificent  oratory  awakened  at  first 
surprise,  then  admiration.  They  crowded  around  his 
pulpit,  and  received  with  awe  the  word  of  God:  Rich 
in  every  mental  and  spiritual  grace  and  endowment,  this 
noble  and  self-sacrificing  Prelate  presented  in  his  perso- 
nal conduct,  in  his  labors  and  privations,  and  in  his  holy 


Right  Rev.  John  England,  D.D.  289 

poverty,  an  exact  practice  of  the  sacred  precepts  and 
counsels  of  the  gospel  he  announced.  Such  was  his 
personal  poverty  that  he  walked  the  burning  sands  and 
pavements  of  Charleston  with  his  bare  feet  to  the  ground ; 
the  upper  leather  of  his  shoes  only;  remaining  decent, 
while  the  soles  were  worn  away. 

Bishop  England  became  devotedly  attached  to  the 
people  of  the  three  States  composing  his  diocese ;  he 
admired  their  generosity  and  hospitality,  their  liberality, 
in  spite  of  their  education  and  traditional  prejudices, 
their  frank  and  manly  character.  They,  on  the  other 
hand,  admired  his  brilliant  qualities,  his  learning,  his 
earnestness,  his  sincere  devotion  to  a  cause  above  all 
human  motive,  his  lofty  eloquence,  and  his  public  spirit. 
They  were  proud  to  welcome  such  a  man  as  their  fellow- 
citizen.  He  fully  identified  himself  with  every  good  and 
wholesome  influence  and  movement  of  the  community 
in  which  he  lived.  He  was  the  reviver  of  classical 
learning  in  South  Carolina.  He  became  an  active  and 
invaluable  member  of  the  Philosophical  Literary  Associa- 
tion of  Charleston,  in  which  he  infused  new  vigor  by 
his  able  addresses,  his  profound  scientific  attainments,  and 
his  thoroughness  of  research.  Witnessing,  as  he  did, 
the  sad  effects  of  duelling,  he  did  not  make  enemies  by 
intemperate  denunciations,  but  rallied  around  him,  in  one 
common  cause,  the  highest,  most  spirited  and  influential 
gentlemen  of  the  State,  in  an  Anti-Duelling  Association, 
to  oppose  that  fatal  and  mistaken  practice  by  appeals  to 
reason  and  true  honor.  His  address  against  duelling 
before  this  association  is  one  of  the  most  masterly  and 
overpowering  productions  ever  penned  in  any  language. 
At  the  suggestion  of  some  of  the  members  of  Congress 
from  the  South  he  was  invited  to  preach  in  the  Hall  of 
19 


290  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

Representatives  at  Washington,  the  first  Catholic  clergy- 
man that  ever  occupied  that  place.  A  single  passage 
from  this  noble  production  will  show  how  winningly  he 
handled  Catholic  questions  before  his  non-Catholic  fel- 
low-citizens :— 

"  Neither  my  own  feelings,  nor  my  judgment,  nor  my 
faith,  would  dictate  to  me  anything  calculated  to  embitter 
the  feelings  of  those  who  differ  from  me — merely  for 
that  difference.  My  kindest  friends ;  my  most  intimate 
acquaintance ;  those  whom  I  do,  and  ought  to,  esteem 
and  respect,  are  at  variance  with  my  creed ;  yet  it  does 
not  and  shall  not  destroy  our  affections.  In  me  it  would 
be  ingratitude ;  for  I  must  avow,  and  I  do  it  most  will- 
ingly, that  in  my  journeys  through  our  States,  I  have 
been  frequently  humbled  and  abashed  at  the  kindness 
with  which  I  have  been  treated.  I  came  amongst  you  a 
stranger,  and  I  went  through  your  land  with  many  and 
most  serious  and  unfortunate  mistakes,  for  which  you 
were  not  blamable,  operating  to  my  disadvantage.  If 
a  Roman  Catholic  Bishop  was  in  truth  what  he  is  even 
now  generally  supposed  to  be  in  various  parts  of  this 
Union,  he  should  not  be  permitted  to  reside  amongst 
you ;  yet  was  I  received  into  your  houses,  enrolled  in 
your  families,  and  profited  by  your  kindness  :  I  have  fre- 
quently put  the  question  to  myself,  whether,  if  I  had 
similar  impressions  regarding  you,  I  could  have  acted 
with  the  like  kindness  ;  and  I  must  own,  I  frequently 
doubted  that  I  could.  It  is  true,  you  labored  under  se- 
rious mistakes  as  to  what  was  my  religion,  and  what 
were  my  duties  and  obligations.  But  you  were  not  your- 
selves the  cause  of  those  mistakes  ;  nor  had  you  within 
your  reach  the  means  of  correcting  them.  I  feel  grate- 
ful to  my  friends,  who  have  afforded  me  this  opportunity 


Right  Rev.   John  England,  D.D.  291 

of  perhaps  aiding  to  do  away  those  impressions  ;  for  our 
affections  will  be  the  more  strong  as  those  mistakes  will 
be  corrected ;  but  it  must  gratify  those  who,  loving  the 
country,  behold  us  spread  through  it,  to  be  assured  that 
we  are  not  those  vile  beings  that  have  been  painted  to 
their  imaginations,  and  which  ought  not  to  be  allowed 
existence  in  any  civilized  community." 

The  address  then  goes  on  to  give  a  clear  and  lucid 
exposition  of  what  Catholics  do  in  truth  hold  and  prac- 
tice in  relation  to  those  matters  which  have  been  the 
chief  subjects  of  the  delusions  and  prejudices  of  Protest- 
ants against  the  Church  and  her  followers :  and  closed 
with  a  beautiful  appeal  to  his  hearers  to  cultivate,  first, 
the  love  of  God,  and  second,  the  love  of  their  neighbor, 
and  a  prayer  that  our  union  and  harmony  here  may  be 
the  foundation  of  an  everlasting  peace  hereafter. 

The  great  struggle  of  Bishop  England's  life  in  this 
country  seems  to  have  been  to  present  the  Catholic 
Church,  her  doctrines  and  practices,  in  their  true  light 
before  the  American  people.  In  his  effort  to  do  this  his 
labors  were  indefatigable.  His  means  of  accomplishing 
this  end  were  various  and  well  studied.  He  endeavor- 
ed, from  his  arrival  in  the  country,  to  identify  himself 
thoroughly  with  its  people,  its  institutions,  its  hopes,  and 
its  future.  He  was  vigilant  and  spirited  in  maintaining 
and  defending  the  honor  and  integrity  of  the  country,  as 
he  was  in  upholding  the  doctrines  and  practices  of  the 
Church.  In  his  oration  on  the  character  of  Washing- 
ton, he  so  thoroughly  enters  into  the  sentiments  of  our 
people,  and  participates  so  unreservedly  in  the  pride  felt 
by  the  country  in  the  Pater  Patriae,  that  his  language 
would  seem  to  be  that  of  a  native  of  the  country.  There 
was  no  movement  for  the  public  good  in  which  he  did 


292  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

not  feel  an  interest,  and  which  he  did  not,  to  the  extent 
of  his  opportunities,  endeavor  to  promote.  His  admira- 
tion for  the  institutions  of  the  country  was  sincere  and 
unaffected.  Though  no  one  encountered  more  preju- 
dice and  greater  difficulties  than  he  did,  he,  on  all  occa- 
sions, as  he  did  in  his  address  before  Congress,  endea- 
vored to  regard  the  prejudices  and  impressions  entertain- 
ed by  Protestants  against  Catholics  as  errors  which  had 
been  impressed  upon  their  minds  by  education  and  as- 
sociations, for  which  they  themselves  were  not  responsi- 
ble. In  his  writings  and  public  sermons  and  addresses 
he  traveled  over  the  wide  range  of  history;  theology,  and 
the  arts,  in  order  to  vindicate  the  spotless  spouse  of 
Christ  against  the  calumnies  of  her  enemies.  If  Catholic 
citizens  and  voters  were  attacked  on  the  score  of  their 
fidelity  to  their  country  and  its  institutions,  Bishop 
England's  ready  pen  defended  them  from  the  calumny 
and  silenced  their  accusers.  If  a  Catholic  judge  or  pub- 
lic officer  was  accused  of  false  swearing  or  mental  reser- 
vation, in  taking  the  official  oath,  he  found  an  irresistible 
and  unanswerable  champion  in  the  Bishop  of  Charles- 
ton. He  found  the  Church  in  the  United  States  com- 
paratively defenceless  on  his  accession  to  the  See  of 
Charleston,  but  he  soon  rendered  it  a  dangerous  task  in 
her  enemies  to  attack  or  vilify  her ;  and  many  who  ven- 
tured on  this  mode  of  warfare  were  glad  to  retreat  from 
the  field  before  the  crushing  weapons  of  logic,  erudition, 
and  eloquence  with  which  he  battled  for  his  Church,  his 
creed,  and  his  people. 

It  was  with  such  motives  that  he  established  the 
United  States  Catholic  Miscellany  at  Charleston,  one  of 
the  best  conducted  and  most  attractive  journals  in  our 
language.  In  the  midst  of  his  varied  and  engrossing  la- 


Right  Rev.  John  England,  D.D.  293 

bors  in  the  sacred  ministry,  he  supplied  from  his  own  pen 
articles  of  rare  learning  and  ability  in  every  department 
of  human  knowledge  and  literature.  His  own  language, 
in  reference  to  the  objects  and  ends  of  the  Miscellany, 
explains  his  mode  and  purpose  in  his  public  discus- 
sions:— 

"  The  simple  explanation  and  temperate  maintenance 
of  the  doctrines  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church ;  in  ex- 
hibiting which,  its  conductors  are  led  to  hope  that  many 
sensible  persons  will  be  astonished  at  finding  they  have 
imputed  to  Catholics  doctrines  which  the  Catholic 
Church  has  formally  condemned,  and  imagined  they 
were  contradicting  Catholics  when  they  held  Catholic 
doctrines  themselves."  It  was  chiefly  through  the  col- 
umns of  the  Miscellany  that  Bishop  England's  writings 
found  their  way  to  the  public.  Since  his  death,  his 
works  have  been  collected  and  published  by  his  excellent 
successor,  Bishop  Reynolds,  and  constitute  an  invaluable 
contribution  to  our  Catholic  literature. 

There  was  no  portion  of  the  American  Church  in 
which  his  influence  was  not  felt.  He  was  con- 
sulted by  Bishops,  priests,  and  laymen,  from  every  part 
of  the  country.  At  Rome  his  influence  on  Church  mat- 
ters in  this  country  was  very  great.  Wherever  the 
Church  was  afflicted  or  wounded  he  left  no  remedy  un- 
applied or  unsuggested  which  his  fruitful  mind  and 
judgment  could  conjecture.  His  efforts  to  heal  the 
schism  in  the  Church  at  Philadelphia  were  generous  and 
untiring,  and  although  his  endeavors,  like  so  many 
others,  proved  unavailing,  no  one  could  have  struggled 
more  than  he  did  to  achieve  success.  In  this  and  in 
other  instances  we  see  that  his  zeal  was  not  confined 
to  his  own  diocese.  He  went  frequently,  in  compliance 


294  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

with  the  invitations  of  the  Bishops  and  clergymen  of 
other  States  and  cities,  to  herald  the  truths  of  Catho- 
licity, to  announce  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation,  or  to  ap- 
peal in  behalf  of  the  poor  and  afflicted  in  his  matchless 
style.  The  account  given  of  his  lectures  at  Cincinnati, 
in  1830,  will  answer  as  a  description  of  similar  efforts  of 
Bishop  England  in  other  cities  :— 

"  In  June  of  this  year,  a  new  impulse  was  given  to  the 
inquiry  for  religious  truth,  by  a  course  of  lectures 
preached  in  the  Cincinnati  Cathedral,  by  the  illustrious 
John  England,  Bishop  of  Charleston.  The  anxiety  to 
hear  this  eloquent  Prelate,  whose  fame  had  everywhere 
preceded  him,  was  intense,  and  Protestant  vied  with 
Catholic  in  acknowledging  the  power  of  his  intellect,  the 
classic  flow  of  his  language,  his  appropriate  and  com- 
manding gestures,  and  the  burning  energy  that  would 
arouse  a  very  stoic  to  enthusiasm,  with  which  he  advo- 
cated the  claims  of  the  Christian  religion  to  the  homage 
of  the  mind  and  the  affections.  They  whose  tenets  most 
widely  differed  from  those  of  the  learned  and  apos- 
tolfc  preacher,  admitted  the  masterly  manner  in  which  he 
handled  all  the  great  subjects  of  controversy  which  he 
undertook  to  examine,  while  Catholics  felt,  what  many 
an  unbiased  Protestant  mind  confessed,  that  they  were 
borne  along  by  a  flood  of  evidence,  which  increased  as  it 
advanced,  in  resistless  majesty,  until  it  brought  them  in 
full  view  of  '  the  Church  of  the  Living  God,  the  pillar 
and  the  ground  of  truth.' " 

As  the  local  Prelate  of  the  diocese  of  Charleston, 
Bishop  England  was  held  in  universal  veneration  and 
affection  for  his  exalted  virtues,  his  untiring  labors  for 
the  poor,  the  sick,  the  afflicted,  and  the  dying,  and  for 
his  devotion  to  his  sacred  calling.  The  frequent  visita- 


Right  Rev.  John  England,  D.D.  295 

tions  of  pestilential  diseases  to  that  southern  clime  af- 
forded him  many  opportunities  of  calling  into  play  those 
heroic  traits  of  his  character.  During  the  desolations  of 
the  yellow  fever,  he  was  more  than  ever  constant  at  his 
post.  His  friend  and  biographer*  thus  describes  him  in 
one  of  these  plagues  of  the  sunny  South  :— 

"  I  have  hitherto  dwelt  principally  on  his  general  rela- 
tions with  society.  But  he  can  only  be  justly  appreciated 
by  those  who  knew  him  in  the  pastoral  charge.  When 
that  frightful  scourge,  the  stranger's  or  yellow  fever, 
desolated  Charleston,  he  was  ever  at  his  post.  This  is 
nothing  new  or  strange  to  those  who  know  the  Catholic 
priesthood.  But  when  the  Protestants  of  Charleston 
saw  this  apostolic  man  hurrying  under  the  fiery  noons 
of  August  and  September,  or  the  deadly  midnight  dew, 
to  assist  and  console  the  victim  of  the  plague,  usually  of 
the  humblest  and  the  poorest,  they  could  not  but  ex- 
claim, in  the  sincerity  of  their  wonder  and  admiration, 
'  this  is  Christian  charity  ! '  I  am  not  dealing  in  imagin- 
ary suppositions.  I  repeat  but  the  language  of  honored 
and  beloved  relatives  and  friends,  who  had  no  acquaint- 
ance with  him,  who  never  listened  to  his  doctrine,  who 
would  as  soon  have  questioned  their  own  personal  iden- 
tity as  the  infallible  truth  of  the  religious  tenets  in  which 
they  had  been  educated,  but  who  gave  the  cheerful  testi- 
mony of  honesty  and  gratitude  to  virtues  which  were 
voiced  by  the  whole  community.  A  near  relative  of 
mine,  speaking  of  him  to  me,  said,  '  I  met  him  one  fore- 
noon, while  the  fever  was  at  the  highest,  brushing  along 
through  perhaps  the  hottest  street  in  the  city ;  when  I 
tell  you  he  was  blazing,  I  do  not  exaggerate — he  was 

•  The  late  Win    George  Read,  Esq.,  of  Baltimore. 


296  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

literally  blazing !  The  fire  sparkled  from  his  cheeks  and 
flashed  from  his  eyes !  I  shook  hands  with  him,  and,  as 
we  parted,  thought  to  myself,  my  dear  fellow,  you  will 
soon  have  enough  of  this ! '  But  his  work  was  not  yet 
done.  No !  for  season  after  season,  amid  vice,  squal- 
idity,  and  wretchedness,  where  intemperance,  perhaps, 
kept  maudlin  watch  by  the  dying  and  the  dead ;  while 
the  sob  of  sorrow  was  broken  by  the  shriek  of  destitu- 
tion and  despair,  there  still  stood  Bishop  England,  the 
priest,  the  father,  and  the  friend — to  assure  the  penitent 
—to  alarm  the  sinner — to  succor  and  to  pity — baptized 
again  and  again — unto  his  holy  function,  in  that  fright- 
ful black  vomit — the  direst  symptom  of  the  malady  !  " 

Bishop  England's  generous  heart  found  in  the  colored 
population  of  his  diocese  objects  of  his  most  paternal 
care  and  tenderest  solicitude.  To  instruct  them,  chiefly 
in  relation  to  their  moral  and  religious  duties  and  ob- 
ligations, was  a  favorite  object  of- his  zeal  and  chanty. 
His  own  Mass  on  Sundays  at  the  Cathedral  was  offered 
for  them,  and  the  Church  on  that  occasion  reserved  for 
their  exclusive  accommodation.  He  instructed  them 
himself  at  Mass  from  that  same  pulpit  that  was  made 
famous  by  his  eloquence.  He  also  had  a  vesper  service 
for  their  benefit.  It  sometimes  happened  that  his  robust 
strength  was  overpowered  by  his  labors  and  preachings, 
embracing  not  unfrequently  two  sermons  on  an  after- 
noon. When  this  was  the  case,  he  would  occasionally 
dispense  with  his  sermon  on  the  occasions  which  were 
attended  by  the  rich,  powerful,  and  educated,  who  clus- 
tered around  his  pulpit  as  "a  school  of  logic  and  elo- 
quence ; "  but  he  never  disappointed  the  humbler  and 
less  fortunate  servants,  who  came  to  learn  the  simplest 
truths  of  duty  and  religion.  So  obvious  were  the  good 


Right  Rev.  John  England,  D.D.  297 

effects  of  his  ministry  amongst  them,  especially  in  pro- 
moting their  conscientious  regard  for  duty  and  fidelity  in 
their  peculiar  positions,  that'  many  Protestant  planters 
declared  their  willingness  to  give  him  every  opportunity 
and  facility  in  ministering  on  their  plantations  in  person 
or  by  his  clergy,  to  the  exclusion  of  other  ministers.  So 
far  from  taking  offence  at  his  open  and  ardent  advocacy 
of  the  education  of  all,  not  excluding  the  slaves,  they 
welcomed  his  ministry  and  teachings  on  their  extensive 
estates,  to  the  exclusion  even  of  the  ministry  and  teach- 
ings of  their  own  preachers.  Bishop  England's  confes- 
sional, which  he  attended  with  unwearied  patience,  was 
the  resort  of  all  classes  and  conditions,  and  none  were 
ever  dismissed  without  the  healing  balm  of  the  sacra- 
ment. He  possessed  the  intuitive  faculty  of  understand- 
ing at  once  the  cause  and  seat  of  spiritual  malady,  he 
was  profoundly  versed  in  his  knowledge  of  the  remedies, 
and  all  who  came  received  heavenly  blessings  and  con- 
solations. He  was  greatly  attached  to  the  religiously 
symbolical  and  gorgeous  ceremonial  of  the  Church, 
which  he  did  not  regard,  however,  as  among  the  essen- 
tials, but  as  "outworks  to  be  maintained."  His  rude, 
weather-boarded  Cathedral  of  St.  Finbar  displayed  in 
all  its  detail  the  grand  religious  drama  of  the  ecclesias- 
tical year,  with  its  alternate  seasons  of  joy  and  sorrow, 
of  thanksgiving  and  penance.  The  splendor  of  his  elo- 
quence and  the  sublime  earnestness  of  his  character 
heightened  the  effect.  Protestants  crowded  there  with 
Catholics ;  and  often  when  the  solemn  tcncbrce  were 
chanted,  and  the  melting,  subduing,  chastening  Passion 
sermon  was  preached,  they  mingled  their  tears,  and  no 
doubt  their  prayers,  too,  before  the  altar  of  the  lamb- 
sacrifice.  A  friend  of  his,  who  visited  him  at  Christmas, 


298  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

relates,  that  he  knew  him  to  leave  his  confessional  at 
nine  o'clock  at  night  on  Christmas  Eve,  go  into  his  library 
and  arrange  a  mattress  for  his  guest,  walk  to  his  distant 
residence,  return  to  arouse  his  friend  in  time  to  attend 
the  midnight  Mass,  which  was  such  in  fact  as  well  as  in 
name,   give   communion   at  the   six    o'clock  Mass,   and 
afterwards  celebrate  High  Mass,  and  preach  one  of  his 
sublime  and  characteristic  sermons  on  the  Nativity.     He 
won  converts  to  the  faith  from  among  the  poorest  and 
least  instructed,  and  from  among  the  richest  and  best 
educated.     Many  who  heard  vhe  surpassing  thrill  of  his 
eloquence  came  at  once  to  profess  the  faith ;  and  with 
others,   who   did  not  yield   or  who  resisted,  the   word 
finally  germinated,   and   at   the  solemn   hour  of  death 
brought  forth  fruit  of  penance,  faith,  and  salvation.     His 
lectures  in  the  various  cities  of  the  Union  are  treasured 
even  now  by  thousands  among  the  most  precious  re- 
collections of  a  lifetime,  and  produced  abundant  fruit  of 
conversions  and  repentance.     An  instance  is  related  of 
one  who  had  heard  the  Bishop  preach ;  many  years  had 
intervened,  when  he  was  stricken  down  with  the  yellow 
fever  in  a  remote  and  pestilential  district ;  he  sent  to 
Charleston   for  a  physician  and  for  the  Bishop.     "  Of 
course,"  said  the  doctor,  "  Bishop,  it  is  impossible  for  you 
to  go.     These  things  are  in  the  line  of  my  professional 
duty,  and  though  the  danger  is  great,  I  think  physicians 
sometimes  bear  a  charmed  life."     The  Bishop,  though 
he  knew  that  it  was  regarded  as  certain  death  to  venture 
into  the  infected  region  where  the  sick  man  lived,  simply 
replied :   "  The  only  question  is,  how  are  we  to  go  ?    I 
have  a  carriage,  but  no  horses  ;  can  you  furnish  them  ?  " 
No  expostulation   could  deter  him  from  the  errand  of 
mercy,  for  if  the  physician  of  the  body  could  go,  how 


Right  Rev.   John  England,  D.D.  r^o 

much  greater  was  the  obligation  upon  the  physician  of 
the  soul.  Starting  towards  the  decline  of  the  day,  they 
passed  all  night  through  a  country  more  pestilential  than 
the  Pontine  marshes.  The  physician  could  not  save  the 
body,  but  the  Prelate  was  in  time  to  save  the  soul  on  its 
passage  to  eternity.  Many  cases  like  this  could  be  re- 
lated of  Bishop  England ;  but  let  this  one  suffice  for 
many  similar  ones. 

Bishop  England  held  in  high  esteem  the  religiDus 
Orders  of  ladies,  as  ornaments  to  the  Christian  Church, 
and  invaluable  promoters  of  religious  education.  One 
of  his  first  efforts  was  to  secure  for  his  new  diocese  such 
pious  assistants  in  the  cause  of  religion.  Turning  his 
attention  to  the  Ursuline  Nuns  of  Cork,  he  made  every 
effort  to  secure  their  services ;  and,  though  years  inter- 
vened before  his  poverty  could  provide  the  means  for 
their  accommodation,  he  finally  succeeded ;  and  on  the  oc- 
casion of  his  visit  to,  Ireland,  in  1834,  he  had  the  happi- 
ness of  seeing  Mother  Mary  Charles  (Christina  Malony), 
Sister  Mary  Borgia  (M.  A.  Isabella  McCarthy),  and 
Sister  Mary  Antonia  (Mary  Hughes),  embark  for  the 
United  States.  On  the  loth  of  December,  1834,  they 
entered  the  Convent  prepared  for  them  by  the  Bishop. 
Their  institutions  and  schools  met  with  success  and  ac- 
quired a  high  reputation.  Their  buildings  were  unfor- 
tunately destroyed  by  fire  during  the  late  civil  war,  and 
Congress  declined  indemnifying  them  for  their  losses, 
on  the  ground  that  the  conflagration  was  supposed  to 
have  been  occasioned,  not  by  the  acts  of  the  Federal 
soldiers,  but  by  fire  accidentally  communicated  to  them 
from  the  cotton  which  the  Confederates  had  set  on  fire. 

The  Sisters  of  Our  Lady  of  Mercy  were  also  organ- 
ized and  introduced  by  Bishop  England  into  his  diocese. 


300  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

Three  ladies,  natives  of  Cork,  and  then  residents  of  Bal- 
timore, the  Misses  Mary  and  Honora  O'Gorman,  and 
their  niece,  Miss  Teresa  Barry,  volunteered  for  the  noble 
work,  and  were  accepted  by  the  Bishop  as  so  many  heav- 
enly coadjutors  for  the  salvation  of  souls.  They  pro- 
ceeded to  Charleston  in  1829,  and  occupied  a  rented 
house  near  the  Cathedral.  Their  subsequent  career  of 
success  in  the  religious  instruction  of  female  youth  in 
boarding,  day,  and  free  schools,  and  in  founding  and  con- 
ducting orphan  asylums  in  the  diocese,  form  a  part  of  the 
history  of  the  Church  in  this  country.  Their  buildings 
were  also  burned  during  the  civil  war,  but  as  this  was 
occasioned  by  the  bombardment  of  Charleston  by  the 
Federal  navy,  the  Sisters  received  compensation  from 
the  government.  The  beautiful  and  eloquent  words  in 
which  the  Bishop  announced  to  his  flock  their  advent  to 
the  diocese  are  too  precious  a  tribute  to  these  and. other 
similar  and  often  despised  and  calumniated  religious 
Orders  of  the  Catholic  Church  to  be  omitted  :— 

"  It  is  in  solitude  and  by  the  spirit  of  prayer  that  the 
soul  becomes  powerful,  through  the  merits  of  the  Saviour, 
to  obtain  the  mercies  of  God.  When  Israel  wrestled 
with  the  angel  that  blessed  him,  it  was  not  before  the 
eyes  of  the  multitude,  nor  in  the  midst  of  the  bustle  of 
worldly  occupations ;  when  Moses  prevailed  with  the 
Lord  to  spare  a  devoted  people,  he  was  alone  upon  the 
summit  of  the  mountain ;  it  was  in  retirement  that  John 
the  Baptist  imbibed  that  spirit  which  exhibited  him  won- 
derful and  useful  in  Judea.  Though  public  worship  be 
commanded  by  the  Lord,  and  be  profitable  as  well  as 
necessary  for  His  servants,  still  He  also  desires  that  we 
should  converse  with  Him  in  the  retirement  of  the  cham- 
ber. It  is  in  this  retreat  that  the  soul  is  enabled  to  con- 


Right  Rev.  John  England,  D.D.  301 

template  the  beauties  of  those  religious  duties  and  ob- 
servances which  the  carnal  man  will  not  understand  ; 
and  from  the  contemplation  of  our  divine  institutions  the 
love  of  their  Author  naturally  arises  and  devotion  to  His 
law  and  piety  towards  His  person  are  confirmed.  They 
who  are  His  friends  present  to  Him  in  the  moments  of 
their  intercourse  not  their  own  wants  alone,  but  they  pe- 
tition for  their  friends,  for  their  brethren,  and  even  for 
strangers  and  enemies.  Their  aspirations  ascend  from 
the  midst  of  that  society  from  which  they  appear  to  be 
estranged,  to  call  down  blessings  upon  a  people  to 
whom  they  seem  not  to  belong  ;  and  the  Holy  Ghost  in- 
forms us  that  those  prayers  will  not  be  unavailing.  Hav- 
ing learned  to  walk  in  the  paths  of  virtue,  they  are 
zealous  to  lead  others  to  its  practice,  soothing  them  with 
the  words  of  persuasion,  whilst  they  allure  them  by  their 
example.  They  desire  to  bring  little  children  to  the 
knowledge  of  Christ,  and  to  guard  them  against  the 
dangers  of  the  world,  by  adding  to  the  simple  maxims 
of  their  faith  the  solid  lessons  of  prudent  experience ; 
and  whilst  they  imbue  their  minds  with  worldly  knowl- 
edge and  train  them  to  persevering  industry,  they  are 
zealous  to  furnish  them  with  the  protection  of  a  heavenly 
panoply,  and  to  decorate  them  with  the  ornaments  of 
virtue.  Their  chief  delight  is  to  give  shelter  to  the  little 
trembling  orphan  ;  and  in  the  purity  and  warmth  of  their 
affection  to  cheer  the  heart  that  yearns  for  the  Mother, 
whose  absence  has  been  too  long  protracted,  and  whose 
return  is  sometimes  so  innocently  expected.  In  addition 
to  these  cares,  a  day  may  perhaps  arrive  when  they 
would  be  found  by  the  couch  of  the  afflicted,  smoothing 
the  pillow  of  disease,  lifting  the  head  of  the  languid,  al- 
laying the  thirst  of  fever,  banishing  the  spectres  which 


302  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

affright  the  distempered  imagination,  diffusing  fragrant 
coolness  through  the  chamber  of  pestilence,  and  encour- 
aging with  well-founded  hopes  of  glory  beyond  the 
grave  those  whom  heaven  forbids  them  to  restore  in 
renovated  health  to  their  families.  Such  are  the  objects 
to  which  this  Sisterhood  would  devote  itself." ' 

The  following  passage  from  a  biography  of  Bishop 
England,  by  one  of  his  most  devoted  friends, f  will  show 
the  power  of  his  eloquence  and  the  unflinching  -courage 
of  his  zeal  :— 

"Bishop  England's  influence,  where  he  could  gain  a 
candid  hearing,  was  irresistible.  An  illiberal  majority 
was  once  organized  in  the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature 
of  South  Carolina,  to  refuse  a  charter  of  incorporation  to 
a  Community  of  Nuns,  whose  invaluable  services  he  was 
desirous  to  secure  for  the  education  of  the  female  por- 
tion of  his  flock  at  Charleston.  These  were  a  branch  of 
that  same  admirable  Order  whose  convent  had  been 
pillaged  and  burned  with  such  unmanly  cruelty  in  one  of 
our  Eastern  cities.  Some  of  his  friends  procured  him 
an  invitation  to  preach  before  the  Senate,  and  many  of 
the  members  of  the  lower  house  attended  through  curi- 
osity. He  spoke  of  religion,  its  claims,  its  obligations. 
He  discoursed  of  toleration.  He  held  up  Massachusetts 
to  their  scorn.  He  adverted  to  the  subject  of  his  charter 
--hurled  defiance  at  them — showed  them  how  he  could 
possess  the  entire  State  for  ecclesiastical  purposes,  had 
he  the  means  to  buy  it,  despite  their  narrow-souled  policy. 
He  exposed  to  them  the  folly  of  driving  those  of  his 
communion  into  the  by-paths  of  the  law.  He  changed 


*    Works  of  Bishop  England,  iv.  335. 

f  Wm.  George  Read,  now  deceased,  of  Baltimore. 


Right  Rev.   John  England,  D.D.  303 

his  theme,  and  told  of  Catholic  charity ;  arrayed  before 
them  her  countless  institutions  for  promoting  the  glory 
of  God  and  the  welfare  of  man.  There  was  not.  a  dry 
eye  in  the  house :  his  bill  was  passed  without  a  division 
on  the  following  day." 

Bishop  England's  controversial  writings  and  sermons 
are  master-pieces  of  learning,  logic,  and  eloquence. 
Their  style  has  been  likened  by  one  who  often  heard 
him  "  to  a  straight  bar  of  polished  steel,  connecting  his 
conclusion  with  his  premises,  with  the  lightning  of  heaven 
blazing  and  flashing  about  it."  Whenever  he  went  from 
home  he  was  invited  to  preach  on  the  questions  of  con- 
troversy between  Catholics  and  Protestants.  Many  there 
were  who,  guided  by  the  mistaken  spirit  of  the  world, 
rather  than  by  the  love  of  truth  and  of  their  own  immor- 
tal souls,  desisted  from  his  society  and  avoided  his  dis- 
courses through  a  cowardly  fear  of  having  their  convic- 
tions disturbed.  Bigotry  sometimes  raised  the  cry  of 
"  dangerous  man  "  against  him,  and  some  even  of  those 
who  admired  and  esteemed  him  "  turned  away  and 
walked  no  more  with  him."  Yet  controversy  was  not 
his  best  element.  It  was  as  a  Catholic  Pastor  amonof 

o 

Catholics  that  he  was  most  sublime,  most  powerful  over 
the  human  heart  and  passions.  "  It  was  when  surround- 
ed by  an  auditory  exclusively  Catholic,  to  whom  '  the 
reasons  of  the  hope  that  is  within  them  '  were  fully  known, 
that,  like  a  father  in  the  bosom  of  his  family,  he  lavished 
the  riches  of  his  imagination  in  illustrating  the  goodness 
and  glory  of  his  God,  and  poured  out  in  torrents  of  grati- 
tude and  love  the  abundance  of  one  of  the  greatest  and 
the  kindest  of  hearts  that  ever  beat  in  a  human  breast." 
But  even  among  Protestants  he  could  annihilate  the 
foundations  of  their  creed  without  giving  offence  to 


304  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

any.  On  one  occasion  he  was  invited  by  the  rector  of  a 
Protestant  Church,  the  loan  of  which  the  Bishop  had 
obtained  during  the  week,  and  had  used  in  delivering  a 
course  of  lectures  on  Catholic  doctrine,  to  occupy  his 
pulpit  on  the  following  Sunday  ;  the  minister  alleging 
that  he  had  been  so  engrossed  with  the  Bishop's  lectures 
during  the  week,  that  he  had  neglected  to  prepare  his 
sermon  for  that  day.  The  Bishop  accepted  the  invita- 
tion ;  he  read  some  passages  from  the  Douay  Bible  ;  gave 
the  congregation  some  devotions  from  a  Catholic  prayer- 
book,  which  were  acceptable  to  them ;  and  preached  for 
them  a  sound,  practical  discourse  on  a  subject  of  general 
morals,  and  dismissed  them  with  his  blessing. 

He  was  distinguished  for  his  capacity  and  punctuality 
in  business.  His  good  credit  was  his  capital.  His  talent 
for  accounts,  his  powers  of  combination,  and  his  influence 
over  men,  enabled  him  to  undertake  and  accomplish  what 
to  others  it  would  have  been  folly  to  attempt.  His 
courage  was  heroic ;  never  quailing  before  the  deadly 
pestilence,  the  violent  hand  of  the  assassin,  or  the  rude, 
tumultuous  passions  of  the  mob.  Forewarned,  on  one 
occasion,  of  an  intended  assault,  from  a  man  whose 
faithlessness  to  a  trust  the  Bishop  had  felt  himself  bound 
in  duty  to  restrain,  he  calmly  and  quietly  proceeded  on 
his  predetermined  way.  On  another  occasion,  when 
his  nuns  were  threatened  by  a  mob,  and  Charleston 
seemed  about  to  imitate  Charlestown,  "  he  calmly  exam- 
ined every  flint  of  the  gallant  band  that  hastened  to 
their  defence."  , 

He  saw  and  lamented  early  in  his  episcopal  career  the 
imperfect  organization  of  the  American  Church,  the 
Bishops  of  the  different  dioceses  were  struggling  alone 
and  separately,  in  the  midst  of  difficulties,  poverty,  and 


Right.  Rev.  John  England,  D.D.  305 

opposition,  and  deprived  of  that  mutual  aid,  counsel,  and 
co-operation  which  they  might  derive  from  each  other. 
He  conceived  the  plan  of  assembling  the  Prelates  in 
Council  for  the  common  good  of  all,  and  urged  his  views 
in  his  correspondence  with  his  consecrated  colleagues. 
He  lived  to  see  this  cherished  desire  of  his  heart  accom- 
plished, and  had  the  happiness  of  sitting  in  several  Pro- 
vincial Councils  with  the  Prelates  of  all  the  dioceses  of 
the  United  States,  in  which  his  learning,  his  knowledge 
of  business,  and  his  energy  were  of  invaluable  service. 
He  has  been  called  "  the  author  of  our  Provincial  Coun- 
cils ;  "  and  the  moral  influence  of  the  assembled  Ameri- 
can Hierarchy  has  already  been  felt,  in  the  Old  World, 
in  those  magnificent  letters,  the  production  of  his  pen, 
to  the  Pope,  and  to  the  oppressed  Prelates  of  Prussia. 

Bishop  England  visited  Europe  four  times  during  his 
episcopacy,  for  the  interests  and  institutions  of  his 
diocese,  visiting  Rome,  most  of  the  European  countries, 
and  his  native  Ireland,  which  he  never  ceased  to  love. 
He  was  sent  twice  as  Apostolic  Delegate  from  the  Holy 
See  to  Hayti.  He  obtained  from  Europe  vast  assistance 
for  his  diocese,  both  in  priests,  female  religious,  and 
funds.  It  was  proposed  to  translate  him  to  the  Bishopric 
of  Ossory  in  Ireland,  but  he  declined.  The  highest 
ecclesiastical  dignity,  with  comfort,  luxury,  friends,  and 
ease,  in  his  native  country,  could  not  tempt  him  to  de- 
sert his  beloved  Church  in  America.  He  had  become 
an  American  citizen  and  an  American  Prelate,  and  he 
resolved  to  continue  to  be  both  as  long  as  he  lived.  At 
Rome  he  was  consulted  on  all  matters  relating  to  the 
ecclesiastical  affairs  of  this  country,  The  officials  of  the 
Eternal  City  were  astounded  at  the  great  travels  and 
labors  of  Bishop  England.  They  heard  him  appoint 
20 


306  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

from  the  Chambers  of  the  Propaganda  the  very  day  on 
which  he  would  administer  confirmation  in  the  interior 
of  Georgia.  The  Cardinals,  in  their  wonder  at  all  he 
accomplished,  and  the  rapidity  of  his  movements,  used 
to  call  him  "  il  Vescovo  a  vapore"  or  the  "  Steam  Bishop." 
We  have  seen  with  what  an  insignificant  force  he  com- 
menced his  episcopal  labors.  He  increased  the  churches 
of  his  diocese  to  over  sixteen,  and  left  behind  him  a  well- 
organized  and  appointed  clergy,  and  numerous  ecclesi- 
astical, religious,  educational,  and  charitable  institutions. 
The  Catholic  families  of  his  diocese  might  have  been 
counted,  at  the  time  of  the  erection  of  the  See  of  Charles- 
ton, on  one's  fingers;  at  the  Bishop's  death  they  were 
counted  by  thousands.  But  the  good  he  accomplished 
was  not  confined  to  his  own  diocese.  His  elevating  and 
encouraging  influence  was  felt  throughout  this  country, 
at  Rome,  and  in  many  parts  of  the  Catholic  world. 

His  powerful  frame  was  finally  worn  out  and  broken 
down  by  his  labors,  his  journeyings,  and  his  privations. 
In  1841,  on  his  return  from  Europe,  the  vessel  was  fifty- 
two  days  at  sea.  With  impaired  health  himself,  he  be- 
came the  physician  and  nurse  of  many  on  board  less  ill 
than  himself.  The  Mother  Superior  of  the  Ursulines  at 
Charleston  was  returning  with  him,  from  a  visit  to  Ire- 
land, to  obtain  recruits  for  her  Convent  and  that  of  the 
Sisters  of  Our  Lady  of  Mercy  ;  she  was  taken  desper- 
ately ill,  and  the  Bishop  was  at  her  side,  without  taking 
a  moment's  repose  for  several  nights,  expecting  her 
death  every  hour.  Malignant  dysentery  broke  out  among 
the  steerage  passengers,  and  his  attendance  on  them  was 
incessant,  day  and  night — not  ceasing  to  be  their  physi- 
cian and  nurse  until  even  he  was  taken  with  the  disease 
himself.  He  landed  at  Philadelphia,  but  instead  of  re- 


Right  Rev.   John  England,  D.D.  307 

tiring  to  his  bed,  as  one  so  ill  should  have  done,  he  com- 
menced one  of  his  magnificent  courses  of  lectures,  and 
spoke  for  seventeen  nights  in  succession  ;  he  also  at- 
tended  and   assisted   at    consecrations,    despatched    to 
Charleston  a  large  number  of  co-laborers  for  his  insti- 
tutions, besides  other  business.     At   Baltimore   he   re- 
mained four  days,  and  preached  five  times.     He  was 
warned  of  his  precarious  health,  but  he  could  not  cease 
from  labor  as  long  as  he  could  accomplish  good.     He 
only  said,  "  I  must  do  my  duty ;  and  if  I  fall  at  the  altar, 
I  only  ask  that  you  will  bring  me  home  ! "     At  that  altar 
he  seemed,   while  almost  a  dying  man,   to  surpass  in 
power,  brilliancy,  and  force  even  his  own  palmiest  days. 
A  slight  improvement  appeared  in  his  condition  after  his 
return  to  Charleston,  but  it  was  transient.    His  physicians 
pronounced  his  case  without  hope,  and  that  his  end  was 
near  at  hand.     He  prepared  with  calmness  and  resigna- 
tion to  receive  the  sacramental  unction.     A  solemn  High 
Mass  was  offered  in  the  Cathedral  in  his  behalf  April  10, 
1842,  after  which  his  clergy  were  summoned  to  his  side. 
The  robes   of  episcopal    dignity  were  put  on   for  the 
last  time.     When  he  received  into  his  hand  the  crucifix, 
he  kissed  it,  saying,  "Sweet  Jesus!  who  didst  deign  to 
die  for  me  in  this  ignominious  manner,  regard  with  com- 
passion the  condition  of  thy  servant ;  and  be  with  him 
in  the  succeeding  hour  of  trial."     Being  informed  that 
all  was  ready,  he  said,  "In  the  name  of  Almighty  God, 
proceed!"     After  the  preliminary  prayers,  he  addressed 
the  assembled  clergy,   who  were   kneeling  around   his 
bed,  with  more  than  his  accustomed  eloquence,  for  near 
half  an  hour.     From  this  dying  address  of  a  father  to 
his  sons,  we  can  only  insert  one  extract:— 

"Tell  my  people  that   I   love  them;  tell   them   how 


308  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

much  I  regret  that  circumstances  have  kept  us  at  a  dis 
tance  from  each  other.  My  duties  and  my  difficulties 
have  prevented  me  from  cultivating  and  strengthening 
those  private  ties  which  ought  to  bind  us  together ;  your 
functions  require  a  closer,  a  more  constant  intercourse 
with  them.  Be  with  them — be  of  them — win  them  to 
God.  Guide,  govern,  and  instruct  them.  Watch  as 
having  to  render  an  account  of  their  souls,  that  you  may 
do  it  with  joy,  and  not  with  grief.  There  are  among 
you  several  infant  institutions,  which  you  are  called  on, 
in  an  especial  manner,  to  sustain.  It  has  cost  me  a  great 
deal  of  thought,  and  of  labor,  to  introduce  them.  They 
are  calculated  to  be  eminently  serviceable  to  the  cause 
of  order,  of  education,  of  charity ;  they  constitute  the 
germ  of  what,  I  trust,  shall  hereafter  grow  and  flourish  in 
extensive  usefulness.  As  yet  they  are  feeble,  support 
them — embarrassed,  encourage  them — they  will  be  af- 
flicted, console  them." 

"  /  commend  my  poor  church  to  its  patrons — especially 
to  her  to  whom  our  Saviour  conjided  His  in  the  person  of 
the  beloved  disciple :  '  Woman,  behold  thy  son  /  son,  behold 
thy  mother'" 

The  rite  was  administered ;  he  gave  his  benediction 
and  kiss  of  peace  to  each  one  present;  he  was  disrobed, 
and  sank  exhausted  upon  his  pillow.  He  expired  April 
n,  1842;  his  last  effort  was  to  unite  in  the  prayers  of 
the  attendants.  His  virtues  entitled  his  memory  to  every 
respect  from  the  surviving,  and  it  was  paid.  The  bells 
of  the  Protestant  churches  tolled,  the  flags  through  the 
city  and  on  the  shipping  were  lowered,  and  persons  of 
every  denomination,  age,  condition,  and  class,  united  in 
paying  every  mark  of  respect,  veneration,  and  affection 
to  the  illustrious  dead.  It  is  unnecessary  to  say  more  of 


Right  Rev.   John  England,  D.  D.  309 

his  virtues,  his  talents,  his  acts ;  they  are  engraven  upon 
many  a  living  memory,  and  treasured  in  many  a  loving 
heart.  It  would  be  an  ample  reward  for  our  labors,  if 
these  pages  should  contribute  to  perpetuate  his  name,  to 
preserve  his  example,  and  embalm  his  memory  in  the 
hearts  of  all  Catholics  in  America. 


RIGHT  REV.  HENRY  CONWELL,  D.D., 

Second  Bishop  of  Philadelphia,  A.D.  1820.* 

BISHOP  CONWELL  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  where  he 
was  ordained  a  priest  in  the  year  1776,  He  exercised 
the  ministry  in  that  country  for  forty-four  years;  years 
of  persecution  to  the  Catholic  Church,  and  to  himself  of 
great  personal  trials  and  sufferings  for  justice's  sake.  At 
the  time  of  his  advent  to  the  United  States  he  was  Vicar 
General  of  the  diocese  of  Armagh.  In  1820,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-three  years,  he  accepted  the  appointment  of 
Bishop  of  Philadelphia,  a  change  which  brought  severer 
trials  and  more  bitter  cares  than  any  he  had  encountered 
in  his  native  country.  He  was  consecrated  at  London, 
and  immediately  embarked  for  America. 

On  the  death  of  Bishop  Egan  in  1814,  the  Very  Rev. 
Louis  de  Barth  was  appointed  administrator  of  the  dio- 
cese of  Philadelphia.  In  January,  and  again  in  July, 
1815,  Archbishop  Carroll  requested  Rome  to  supply  the 
vacancy,  and  Rev.  Ambrose  Marechal  was  appointed 
Bishop  of  Philadelphia,  fyut  declined  the  appointment. 
The  Rev.  John  David,  afterwards  coadjutor  of  Louisville, 
was  named  for  this  unwelcome  appointment,  but  he  im- 
mediately wrote  to  Rome,  requesting  that  his  name 
should  not  be  used  in  that  connection.  The  Very  Rev. 
Mr.  de  Barth  twice  refused  the  appointment.  That 
Bishop  Conwell  should  have  accepted  a  position  which 

*  Bishop  England's  Works,  v.  ;  De  Courcy  and  Shea's  Catholic  Church  in  the 
United  States;  Hassard's  Life  of  Archbishop  Hughes;  Catholic  Miscellany,  1829 
and  1830;  Freeman's  Journal,  1842,  etc.,  etc. 


Right  Rev.  Henry  Conwell,  D.D.  311 

had  been  refused  by  so  many  others,  younger  and  more 
robust  than  himself,  at  an  age,  too,  when  man's  powers 
of  endurance  and  capacity  for  usefulness  have  generally 
ceased  or  become  impaired,  and  when  most  men  are 
thinking  of  retiring  from  the  active  struggles  and  duties 
of  life,  argues  well  for  his  zeal  for  religion,  and  for  his 
moral  courage.  This  fact,  together  with  his  extreme 
age,  should  cause  his  administration  of  the  difficult  and 
trying  office  he  accepted  under  such  circumstances,  to  be 
viewed  and  judged  with  leniency  and  charity  towards 
any  errors  of  judgment  he  may  have  fallen  into.  The 
spirit  of  insubordination  in  Philadelphia  commenced 
under  Bishop  Carroll  in  1802.  The  troubles  of  St. 
Mary's  Church  had  baffled  the  efforts  and  shortened  the 
days  of  a  predecessor  much  younger  than  himself  and 
for  many  years  acquainted  with  the  -country  and  the 
people  of  the  diocese.  The  able  administrations  of  the 
Very  Rev.  Louis  de  Barth  and  of  the  Very  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Matthews,  successive  administrators  of  the  diocese, 
had  not  succeeded  in  eradicating  or  in  assuaging  the  evil. 
Bishop  Conwell  commenced  his  labors  in  Pennsylvania 
with  an  energy  scarcely  to  be  expected  in  so  aged  a  per- 
son. These  labors  were  chiefly  onerous  in  the  visita- 
tion of  his  large  diocese,  at  a  time  when  roads  were  bad 
and  conveyances  very  uncomfortable.  We  have  some 
accounts  of  his  travels  through  the  western  and  northern 
portions  of  the  State  on  horseback,  of  his  officiating  in 
the  rude  log  chapels  of  the  frontier,  and  of  the  cheerful- 
ness with  which  he  encountered  the  labors  of  a  mission- 
ary in  those  early  days.  In  one  of  his  visitations  of  the 
diocese  he  met  a  young  deacon,  then  on  a  visit  to  his 
family  at  Chambersburg,  saw  at  once  the  material  of 
which  he  was  made,  and  insisted  upon  his  accompanying 


312  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

him  on  his  journey.  This  was  young  Mr.  Hughes,  after- 
wards the  distinguished  Archbishop  of  New  York.  The 
Bishop  made  his  young  companion  preach,  which  was 
accomplished  with  such  success  that  his  services  as  a 
preacher  were  frequently  called  into  requisition.  Young 
Hughes  had  but  one  sermon  prepared,  and,  as  it  was 
impossible  to  prepare  sermons  on  such  a  journey,  he 
preached  the  same  sermon  six  times,  greatly  to  the 
amusement  of  the  aged  Bishop,  who  used  to  say  after- 
wards that  he  knew  the  "cuckoo  sermon"  as  well  as  its 
author.  This  young  deacon  was  afterwards  ordained 
by  Bishop  Conwell  at  St.  Joseph's  Church  in  Philadel- 
phia, to  which  city  he  was  recalled  by  the  Bishop  in 
1827,  after  a  year  on  the  mission  at  Bedford. 

But  the  usefulness  of  Bishop  Conwell  was  greatly 
marred  by  the  unfortunate  contest  entailed  upon  him, 
and  which  he  was  compelled  to  encounter  with  the 
trustees  and  pastors  of  St.  Mary's  Church.  This  was 
the  Cathedral  Church  of  Philadelphia.  On  arriving  at 
his  see  in  the  latter  part  of  1820,  Bishop  Conwell  found 
this  church,  which  had  also  been  the  scene  of  the  trou- 
bles of  Bishop  Egan,  in  the  pastoral  charge  of  a  young 
priest  named  Hogan,  who  had  been  stationed  there  by 
Father  de  Barth.  He  was  an  eloquent  preacher,  but  of 
imperfect  education.  Worse  than  all,  his  character  was 
not  above  reproach,  and  the  Bishop  discovered  that  his 
conduct  in  Ireland,  on  his  passage  over,  in  Albany,  and 
even  in  Philadelphia,  was  not  free  from  censure.  He  ac- 
cordingly suspended  Hogan  December  20,  1820.  Hogan 
attempted  to  appeal  from  his  sentence  to  Archbishop 
Marshal,  who  refused  to  entertain  his  appeal.  He  con- 
tinued to  exercise  the  ministry  in  spite  of  the  Bishop, 
who  consequently  excommunicated  him  in  May,  1821, 


Right  Rev.  Henry  Conw<.ll,  D.D.  313 

and  appointed  Rev.  Mr.  Cummiskey  the  pastor  of  St. 
Mary's.  The  Bishop  and  his  clergy  continued  for  some 
months  in  possession  of  the  church,  during  which  they 
were  greatly  annoyed  and  threatened  by  Hogan  and  the 
malcontents  whom  he  rallied  to  his  support.  Among 
these  were  the  lay  trustees,  who,  with  Hogan  at  their 
head,  dispossessed  the  Bishop  and  his  clergy  in  the 
summer  of  1821,  and  again  installed  Hogan  as  their 
pastor.  The  legal  title  to  the  church  property  was 
vested  in  a  board  of  trustees,  composed  of  not  more 
than  three  pastors,  and  eight  laymen  elected  by  the  pew- 
holders.  The  law,  of  course,  did  not  designate  the 
manner  of  appointing  the  three  pastors ;  this,  of  course, 
was  left  where  the  ecclesiastical  law  had  placed  it,  with 
the  Bishop ;  the  Bishop  claimed  this  power  as  inherent 
in  his  office,  while  the  lay  trustees  openly  arrogated  to 
themselves  the  power  of  selecting  the  pastor  or  pastors 
for  the  congregation.  The  Bishop  and  clergy  of  his 
household,  on  being  dispossessed,  retired  to  St.  Joseph's 
chapel,  within  a  short  distance  of  the  cathedral.  The 
rebellious  proceedings  of  the  trustees  were  not  sustained 
by  a  majority  of  the  pew-holders,  many  of  whom  followed 
the  Bishop  to  St.  Joseph's;  and  even  after  this,  a 
majority  of  the  remaining  pew-holders  were  opposed  in 
sentiment  to  the  trustees. 

In  the  mean  time  Bishop  Conwell,  in  his  anxiety  to 
try  every  expedient  that  might  rid  his  flock  of  schism  and 
restore  peace,  yielding  to  the  advice  of  several  of  his 
own  friends,  who  were  also  admirers  of  the  Rev.  William 
V.  Harold,  the  former  eloquent  and  popular  preacher  of 
St.  Mary's,  had  sent  an  invitation  to  that  person  to  come 
to  Philadelphia.  He  hoped,  as  it  was  suggested,  that 
the  eloquence  and  popularity  of  Mr.  Harold  would  draw 


314  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

away  the  congregation  from  Hogan,  who,  left  without 
hearers  or  supporters,  would  thus  be  compelled  to  desist 
from  doing  further  evil.  Mr.  Harold  was  at  that  time 
prior  of  the  Dominican  Convent  at  Corpo  Santo  in  Lis- 
bon. Bishop  Conwell  had  not  been  informed  of  the 
previous  history  of  Mr.  Harold,  and,  shortly  after  send- 
ing the  invitation  to  him,  he  learned  that  he  and  his 
uncle,  Rev.  William  Harold,  had  been  the  principal 
fomenters  of  discord  and  scandal  under  his  predecessor. 
He  at  once  revoked  the  invitation  ;  but  it  was  too  late ; 
Mr.  Harold  had  received  the  summons,  and  accepted  it; 
he  had  already  resigned  his  priorship,  embarked  for  the 
United  States,  and  arrived  at  Philadelphia,  December  2, 
1821.  The  Bishop,  though  inclined  to  receive  him  coolly, 
yet  felt  constrained  to  make  the  best  of  the  circumstances, 
appointed  him  pastor  of  St.  Joseph's,  and  made  him  his 
secretary.  Mr.  Harold  entered  warmly  into  the  Bishop's 
plans,  and  took  decided  part  against  the  schismatics ;  but 
he  did  not  succeed  in  his  efforts  to  aid  the  Bishop  in 
crushing  or  even  weakening  the  disaffection. 

In  order  to  remedy  the  want  of  support  from  the  ma- 
jority of  the  pew-holders  remaining  at  St.  Mary's,  the 
schismatics  resorted  to  the  expedient  of  building  a  number 
of  new  pews  in  the  church,  and  filled  them  with  one 
hundred  and  thirty  creatures  of  their  own,  some  of  whom 
were  open  enemies  of  religion,  not  even  professing  to  be 
Catholics.  With  these  recruits,  the  next  election  of  trus- 
tees, which  took  place  on  Easter-day,  1822,  resulted  in 
their  favor  only  by  a  bare  majority.  This  election  was 
attended  by  scenes  most  scandalous  and  shocking ;  dis- 
order reigned,  and  proceeded  to  violence  and  blood- 
shed, even  within  the  sacred  precincts  of  the  sanctuary. 

Other  Prelates  were  brought  into   the   contest,   the 


Right  Rev.  Henry  Conwell,  D.D.  315 

principal  of  whom  was  the  able  and  distinguished  Dr. 
England,  Bishop  of  Charleston,  whose  mind,  by  means 
of  misrepresentation  and  loud  professions  of  zeal  for  re- 
ligion, and  desire  for  peace  on  the  part  of  the  malcon- 
tents, had  been  prejudiced  against  Dr.  Conwell  and  his 
course.  So  much  was  this  the  case,  that  Bishop  Eng- 
land, while  stopping  at  Philadelphia  en  route  to  New 
York,  did  not  call  on  Dr.  Conwell.  From  New  York, 
however,  he  offered  his  mediation  to  Dr.  Conwell,  who 
clearly  saw  the  deluded  state  of  his  mind  on  the  subject, 
from  the  concluding  words  of  his  letter,  viz. : — "  I 
pledge  myself  to  you,  and  I  would  not  do  so  thought- 
lessly, that  if  you  grant  what  I  ask,  you  will  uphold 
and  preserve  religion ;  but  should  you  refuse  it,  you  will 
be  the  cause  of  its  destruction."  Bishop  Conwell,  not 
approving  of  Dr.  England's  course,  declined  his  media- 
tion. But  the  latter  was  too  good  and  just  to  listen  to 
only  one  side  of  a  case,  and  the  former  was  only  too 
anxious  to  avail  himself  of  an  impartial  and  enlightened 
mediation  in  the  interests  of  peace.  Bishop  England,  on 
his  return  from  New  York,  visited  Bishop  Conwell,  from 
whom  he  learned  the  true  condition  of  the  trouble,  and 
whom  he  found  quite  ready  and  willing  to  follow  his  ad- 
vice. It  was  arranged  between  the  two  Prelates  that 
Bishop  Conwell  should  give  authority  to  Bishop  Eng- 
land to  absolve  Hogan  on  a  proper  submission,  and  that 
Bishop  England  should  give  him  a  mission  in  his  own 
diocese.  Hogan,  on  making  the  required  submission 
and  promises,  was  absolved  by  Bishop  England,  Octo- 
ber 1 8,  1821  ;  but  this  misguided  man,  on  the  following 
day,  again  threw  himself  into  the  arms  of  the  trustees, 
retracted  his  submission,  said  mass  at  St.  Mary's,  and 
took  possession  as  its  pastor.  The  implicit  faith  placed 


316  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

by  Bishop  England  in  Hogan  was  now  gone,  his  plans 
for  a  settlement  were  defeated,  and  he  was  obliged,  in 
turn,  himself  to  excommunicate  him. 

This  rebellious  priest  was  solemnly  condemned  by  the 
Holy  See  in  1822,  by  a  Papal  Brief,  dated  August  22  of 
that  year,  which  was  brought  from  Rome  by  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Baltimore.  He  promised  again  to  submit,  this 
time,  however,  to  the  tribunal  of  highest  and  last  resort 
in  the  Church,  and  "  a  long  correspondence  ensued  be- 
tween him  and  the  Rev.  William  V.  Harold,  the  Bish- 
op's secretary.  In  this,  bad  faith  is  everywhere  evident 
in  Hogan's  language.  Nevertheless  he  made  his  sub- 
mission December  10,  1822,  and  the  same  day  received 
from  Bishop  Conwell  his  exeat  and  the  removal  of  the 
censures  incurred ;  but  on  the  I4th  of  the  same  month 
the  unhappy  priest,  circumvented  by  the  trustees,  relapsed 
into  his  error ;  he  objected  that  the  authenticity  of  the 
Pontifical  brief  had  not  been  shown,  and  he  continued  to 
officiate  and  preach  at  St.  Mary's.  He  published  the  most 
violent  pamphlets  against  his  diocesan,  and  against 
Bishop  England,  whom  he  sought  to  compromise;  but 
he  soon  tired  of  functions  which  he  rebelliously  exer- 
cised, and  which  were  a  check  to  his  passions.  He  left 
Philadelphia,  went  South,  married,  re-married,  became  a 
custom-house  officer  at  Boston,  went  into  the  pay  of  the 
bitterest  enemies  of  Catholicity,  ever  disposed  to  foment 
scandal,  and  successively  published  against  the  Church 
three  infamous  books,  recently  (1856)  reprinted  at 
Hartford,  to  stimulate  the  Know-Nothing  movement.  At 
last,  while  the  tutor  of  Leahy,  a  pretended  Trappist 
monk,  and  an  obscene  reviler  of  Catholic  truth,  he  died 
of  the  palsy  in  1851  or  1852,  without  giving  any  sign  of 
.repentance — a  frightful  example  of  the  pernicious  influ- 


Right  Rev.  Henry   Con  well,  D.D.  317 

ence  of  the  trustee  system,  which  Protestanism  tries  to 
force  on  the  Catholics."* 

The  trustees  were  determined  to  fill  the  place  of  Ho- 
gan  with  some  one  no  better  than  himself;  and  with  this 
view  they  applied  to  the  notorious  Angelo  Ingl^si;  but  in 
this  instance  they  overshot  the  mark  ;  even  they  recoiled 
at  the  open  immoralities  of  their  chosen  pastor,  and 
named  in  his  place  the  Rev.  Thaddeus  O'Meally,  of  the 
diocese  of  Limerick.  This  person  did  not  shrink  from 
the  work  of  Hogan.  Bishop  Conwell  offered  him 
terms  of  accommodation,  but  these  were  rejected  by  him, 
and  he  went  to  Rome  to  lay  before  the  Pope  the  com- 
plaints of  the  trustees  against  the  Bishop,  and  to  request 
his  removal.  At  Rome  the  voice  of  conscience  pene- 
tjrated  his  soul ;  he  made  his  submission,  July  25,  1825, 
and  retired  into  a  convent  in  order  to  lead  a  life  of  pen- 
ance. The  aged  and  persecuted  Bishop,  worn  out  with 
the  long  conflict,  and  with  the  slanders  and  contempts  of 
his  enemies,  at  length,  in  order  to  secure  peace  for  him- 
self and  his  flock,  and  thinking  that  he  at  the  same  time 
maintained  the  rights  of  his  office  and  of  the  Church, 
signed  certain  articles  of  agreement  with  the  trustees. 
By  these  the  Bishop  was  recognized  as  the  chief  pastor 
of  St.  Mary's,  with  the  right  of  naming  two  assistants, 
who  were  to  be  the  immediate  pastors  of  the  Church ; 
if  the  trustees  objected  to  either  of  the  assistants  named 
by  the  Bishop,  they  were  to  state  their  objections  in 
writing,  and  the  Bishop  and  two  clergymen  not  connect- 
ed with  St.  Mary's  were  to  meet  three  of  the  trustees, 
and  these  six  were  to  constitute  a  board,  a  majority  of 
whom  should  decide  the  issue,  the  Bishop  voting  merely 
as  an  individual ;  and  in  case  of  a  tie  vote,  another  mem- 

*   Tht  Catholic  Churth  in  the  United  States,  by  De  Courcy  and  She*. 


318  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

her  of  the  committee  was  to  be  chosen  by  lot,  whose 
casting  vote  was  to  determine  and  bind  the  Bishop. 
The  fixing  of  the  salary  of  the  Bishop  and  pastors  was 
left  to  the  "liberality  and  discretion  of  the  trustees;"  but 
the  Bishop's  salary  was  not  to  be  decreased  without  his 
consent.  These  articles  were  signed  October  9,  1826. 
But  at  the  same  time,  the  trustees  signed  and  entered  in 
their  record  a  declaration  maintaining  "  their  inherent 
right  of  presentation  ;"  announcing  that  the  accommoda- 
tion was  not  a  precedent,  but  only  a  temporary  means  of 
restoring  peace,  and  of  affording  an  opportunity  to  the 
trustees  of  prosecuting  their  claim,  and  of  obtaining  a 
Papal  Bull  forbidding  the  appointment  of  any  future 
Bishop,  "  unless  his  appointment  shall  have  been  made 
with  the  approbation  and  at  the  recommendation  of  the 
Catholic  clergy  of  the  diocese."  It  has  been  stated  that 
Bishop  Conwell  also  admitted  and  accepted  this  decla- 
ration of  the  trustees,  but  the  Bishop  himself  denied  this, 
stating  that  he  never  saw  it,  "  until  he  saw  it  by  accident 
some  time  after  the  settlement."  This  unfortunate  com- 
promise did  not  receive  the  sanction  of  the  clergy  of 
Philadelphia.  The  Bishop,  two  days  after  the  articles 
were  signed,  October  n,  1826,  proclaimed  an  amnesty, 
relieved  the  Church  of  St.  Mary  from  his  interdict,  and 
appointed  Rev.  William  V.  Harold  and  Rev.  Thomas 
Hayden  pastors  of  the  church,  and  they  were  accepted 
by  the  trustees.  While  the  Bishop  regarded  this  ar- 
rangement as  a  security  for  peace  without  impairing  his 
own  authority,  the  trustees  regarded  it  as  a  triumph 
over  the  Bishop.  A  copy  of  the  "  Articles  "  was  sent  to 
Rome.  In  the  mean  time  the  Bishop's  hopes  of  peace 
were  disappointed;  in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  Fa- 
ther Harold  came  into  conflict  with  the  Bishop  concern- 


Right  Rev.  Henry  Conwell,  D.D.  319 

ing  the  Articles  themselves,  and,  led  on  by  an  impetuous 
nature,  proceeded  so  far  as  to  be  guilty  of  open  disre- 
spect and  even  contempt  of  the  Bishop,  who  certainly  on 
his  part  had  acted  with  great  consideration  towards  him 
throughout.  The  Bishop  suspended  Father  Harold  from 
the  exercise  of  his  ministry. 

The  copy  of  the  "  Articles  "  was  received  at  Rome  in 
due  time,  and  so  grave  had  this  deplorable  condition  of 
the  Church  of  Philadelphia  become,  that  the  whole  mat- 
ter was  considered  at  the  Propaganda ;  and  at  a  general 
meeting  of  the  Cardinals  held  April  30,  1827,  the  articles 
of  agreement  of  October  9,  1826,  were  declared  null  and 
void,  as  a  subversion  of  the  Episcopal  power,  and  of  ec- 
clesiastical discipline,  Pope  Leo  XII.  confirmed  the 
decision,  and  the  same  was  communicated  to  Bishop  Con- 
well  in  a  letter  from  Cardinal  Cappellari,  the  Prefect  of 
the  Propaganda,  afterwards  Pope  Gregory  XVI.  Bishop 
Conwell  at  once  submitted  to  this  reversal  of  his  pro- 
ceedings, and  announced  the  decision  of  Rome,  not  only 
verbally  in  St.  Mary's  Church,  but  also  caused  it  to  be 
published  in  the  papers.  His  language  in  making  the  an- 
nouncement was  worthy  of  a  Bishop  ;  he  said:  "  Being 
bound  in  conscience  to  obey  this  decision,  I  do  most 
willingly  submit,  and  engage  to  act  on  that  full  canonical 
power,  claimed  and  exercised  universally  by  Bishops  of 
every  nation  in  the  world,  as  well  as  by  my  more  im- 
mediate brethren,  the  Bishops  of  the  United  States, 
whose  favor  and  indulgence  I  crave  on  this  occasion." 
Bishop  England,  who  was  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
the  history  of  this  sad  disturbance,  has  recorded  his 
opinion  of  Dr.  Conwell's  conduct  at  this  juncture ;  he 
says :  "  We  must  premise  that,  whatever  our  opinion 
might  be  as  to  the  prudence  of  some  of  his  acts,  this  af- 


320  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

flicted  Prelate  has,  throughout  the  whole  series  of  his 
trials,  been  proved  unimpeachable  in  his  moral  conduct, 
and  sound  in  his  faith ;  and  seldom,  indeed,  has  it  fallen 
to  the  lot  of  a  Bishop  to  have  been  placed  in  more  per- 
plexing- difficulties.  His  conduct  in  this  last  instance 
ought  to  raise  him  in  the  esteem  of  his  friends ;  for  he 
has  manifested  a  proper  and  edifying  respect  for  the  su- 
perior tribunal  by  which  his  own  public  act  has  been 
declared  irregular  and  void.  The  sacrifice  of  pride  upon 
the  altar  of  duty  is  not  easily  made,  and  especially  under 
such  circumstances  as  those  in  which  he  was  placed.  His 
conduct  has  edified  us,  and  will  doubtless  be  beneficial  in 
its  results.  We  are  happy  in  having  grounds  to  indulge 
the  hope  that  all  others  concerned  will,  in  this  respect, 
imitate  Dr.  Conwell." 

The  trustees,  however,  did  not  imitate  the  Bishop's 
humility  and  obedience.  The  condition  of  things  did 
not  improve  at  St.  Mary's  ;  the  trustees  were  ever  in  a 
state  of  insubordination.  The  Holy  See  determined  to 
use  active  measures  now  to  cure  this  disorder.  In  August, 
1827,  the  Cardinal  Prefect  of  the  Propaganda  invited 
Dr.  Conwell  to  repair  to  Rome,  instructing  him  to  trans- 
fer the  administration  of  the  diocese  of  Philadelphia  to 
Dr.  Marechal,  Archbishop  of  Baltimore.  But  the  latter 
Prelate  was  in  too  feeble  and  precarious  a  state  of  health 
to  accept  this  additional  charge ;  and  Bishop  Conwell 
deferred  his  departure  till  he  should  hear  again  from 
Rome.  Again,  as  a  measure  of  hoped-for  peace,  he  restor- 
ed Father  Harold  to  the  exercise  of  the  ministry,  relieved 
the  good  Father  Hayden  from  St.  Mary's,  and  appointed 
in  his  place  the  Dominican  Father  Ryan,  who  was  ac- 
ceptable to  the  trustees.  Archbishop  Marechal  died 
January  28,  1828.  Shortly  after  this  Dr.  Conwell  re- 


Right  Rev.  Henry   Conwell,  D.D.  321 

ceived  a  renewal  of  the  summons  to  Rome,  and  the 
Rev.  William  Matthews,  of  Washington  city,  was  ap- 
pointed administrator  of  the  diocese.  The  conduct  of 
Fathers  Harold  and  Ryan,  in  the  mean  time,  had  not  been 
unexceptionable,  and  they  received  directions  from  the 
Pope  and  the  Vicar- General  of  their  own  Order  to  re- 
pair to  a  Dominican  Convent  at  Cincinnati.  The  Bishop 
immediately  departed  for  Rome.  Fathers  Harold  and 
Ryan,  on  the  contrary,  appealed  to  the  Government  of 
the  United  States  for  protection  against  the  mandate,  as 
they  alleged,  of  a  foreign  power,  attempted  to  be  en- 
forced in  the  United  States.  The  correspondence  between 
the  State  Department  at  Washington,  the  American 
Minister  at  Paris,  and  the  Papal  Nuncio,  soon  convinced 
our  government  that  this  was  not  a  case  for  its  interfer- 
ence. Messrs.  Harold  and  Ryan  withdrew  from  St. 
Mary's,  but  not  immediately  from  Philadelphia.  In  1829 
they  separately  returned  to  Ireland,  where  they  endeav- 
ored to  repair  the  past  by  exemplary  lives,  and  where 
they  both  died  edifying  deaths. 

Bishop  Conwell  spent  eight  or  ten  months  at  Rome. 
The  Cardinal  Prefect  requested  him  not  to  return  again 
to  his  diocese,  or  at  least  to  wait  till  all  angry  feelings 
had  subsided.  The  aged  and  feeble  Prelate  became 
alarmed  at  these  intimations,  suddenly  left  the  city,  and 
went  to  Paris.  There,  too,  the  Papal  Nuncio  endeavored 
to  persuade  him  not  to  return  to  Philadelphia ;  but  his 
fears,  once  aroused,  impaired  the  exercise  of  his  judg- 
ment, and  he  returned,  after  some  time  spent  in  Paris,  to 
his  episcopal  see.  It  does  not  appear  that  in  this  action 
Bishop  Conwell  disobeyed  any  express  order  of  his  su- 
periors, or  made  any  appeal,  as  was  by  some  supposed, 
for  protection  to  the  civil  authorities  of  this  country. 
21 


322  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

There  was  no  necessity  for  the  latter,  since  the  American 
Consul  at  Rome  wrote  to  the  State  Department  at 
Washington  that  no  effort  was  made  to  detain,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  his  passports  had  been  signed  without 
hesitation.*  . 

Bishop  Conwell  never  recovered  his  episcopal  juris- 
diction. At  the  Council  of  Baltimore,  in  1829,  he  was 
in  frequent  consultation  with  the  Prelates  of  the  Council, 
but  did  not  take  a  seat  in  it  or  any  part  in  its  proceed- 
ings. This  Council,  with  the  approbation  of  Bishop 
Conwell,  recommended  the  appointment  of  a  coadjutor 
for  the  diocese  of  Philadelphia,  with  the  powers  of  ad- 
ministrator, and  suggested  the  selection  of  Dr.  Francis 
Patrick  Kenrick  for  this  position. 

Engrossing  as  were  the  cares  and  trials  of  his  position, 
during  these  eventful  years,  Bishop  Conwell  never  be- 
came indifferent  to  the  sufferings  and  struggles  of  his 
native  country,  nor  to  the  political  events  and  progress 
of  his  adopted  country.  He  was  a  friend  and  corre- 
spondent of  Daniel  O'Connell,  and  in  the  midst  of  that 
patriot's  agitation  for  liberty  in  Ireland  he  received  ear- 
nest and  stirring  letters  of  encouragement  and  good 
counsel  from  Bishop  Conwell. 

The  Bishop  was  also  on  terms  of  friendly  acquaintance 
with  General  Jackson  and  his  family.  While  at  Rome 
he  addressed  a  letter  to  the  General,  written  on  a  sheet 
of  paper  on  which  was  engraved  a  likeness  of  Pope  Leo 
XII.,  and  covering  also  a  likeness  of  himself  as  a  present 
to  Mrs.  Jackson.  The  following  are  the  Bishop's  letter 
and  the  General's  answer: — 


*  This  account  of  the  Philadelphia  schism  has  been  chiefly  compiled  from  Bishop 
England's  JVor-ks,  the  Life  of  Archbishop  Hughes,  by  Hassard,  and  DeCourcy  and 
Shea'*  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States. 


Right  Rev.  Henry   Conwell,  D.D.  323 

From  Bishop  Conwell  to  President  Jackson. 

ROME,  January  ist,  1829. 

VtosT  HONORED  SIR — Hearing  of  your  election  to  the 
Pi  esidential  chair,  as  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  far 
away  from  home,  I  beg  leave  to  indulge  the  satisfaction 
I  thus  feel  in  coming  before  you,  in  effigy,  to  express  on 
paper  the  sentiments  of  a  heart  exulting  with  extreme 
joy  on  that  propitious  event. 

%  I  congratulate  you  and  your  friends,  and  especially 
Mrs.  Jackson,  en  that  occasion,  and  anticipating  the  hap- 
piest results  from  your  administration,  I  congratulate  the 
United  States  in  general,  wishing  you  health  and  ever/ 
blessing,  for  a  long  series  of  years,  and  heaven  hereafter. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  sentiments  of  greatest 
respect, 

Most  Honored  Sir, 

Your  faithful  friend, 

And  most  obedient  servant, 

•%•  HENRY  CONWELL, 
Bishop  of  Philadelphia. 

10  His  Excellency  General  ANDREW  JACKSON,  President  of    the  United  States, 
Washington  City,  D.  C. 

President  Jackson  to  Bishop  Conwell. 

WASHINGTON  CITY,  April  25th,  1829. 
DEAR  SIR — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  re- 
ceipt of  your  letter  of  the  ist  of  January  last,  and  to 
tender  to  you  my  thanks  for  the  engraving  of  His  Holi- 
ness Pope  Leo  the  XII.,  and  the  impression  of  your- 
self, which  last  you  had  the  goodness  to  send  with  some 
congratulations  to  Mrs.  Jackson.  I  feel  a  melancholy 
pleasure  on  accepting  them,  for  we  have  accounts  of  the 
death  of  the  Pope,  and  shortly  before  the  date  of  your 


324  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

letter,  Divine  Providence  took  from  me  the  dear  com- 
panion of  my  bosom.  So  that  within  this  brief  period 
we  have  both  been  subjected  to  the  heaviest  calamities, 
and  what  you  have  designed  as  tokens  of  respect  for  the 
living  can  only  be  accepted  as  memorials  of  their  de- 
parted worth. 

Allow  me,  sir,  to  express  a  hope  that  nothing  will 
occur  in  the  selection  of  a  successor  at  Rome  to  detain 
you  long  from  your  country — to  which  I  wish  you  a  safe 
and  prosperous  return. 

With  the  assurances  of  my  greatest  respect, 

I  am  your  most  obedient  servant, 

ANDREW  JACKSON. 

Right  Rev.  DOCTOR  CONWELL,   Bishop  of  Philadelphia. 

Bishop  Conwell  was  a  great  admirer  of  talent  and 
genius.  It  has  been  already  stated  how  quick  he  was  in 
detecting  the  superior  qualities  of  Archbishop  Hughes, 
when  a  young  deacon  at  Chambersburg.  He  after- 
wards raised  him  to  the  priesthood,  and  made  him  one 
of  the  priests  of  his  household,  and  regarded  him  as  a 
favorite.  The  biographer  of  the  Archbishop  relates  the 
following  anecdotes:  "Bishop  Conwell  was  delighted 
with  him.  When  he  met  any  of  the  professors  or  "stu- 
dents of  Mount  St.  Mary's,  he  would  accost  them  in  his 
rough  way:  '  How  are  ye?  How's  Brut6?  Ah !  Hughes 
is  the  boy,  isn't  he  ?  He  takes  all  the  wind  out  of  our 
sails.  We'll  make  him  a  Bishop  some  day ! "  — "  Dr. 
Conwell,  with  Mr.  Hughes  and  two  other  priests,  lived 
in  the  house  attached  to  St.  Joseph's,  not  having  re- 
turned to  St.  Mary's  when  it  was  reopened.  Mr. 
Hughes  was  only  curate  at  this  time.  The  senior  priest, 
a  good  but  rather  dull  man,  took  it  into  his  head  one  day 


Right  Rev.  Henry  Conwe/l,  D.D.  325 

that  the  revenues  of  the  church  were  not  fairly  divided ; 
the  three  clergymen  who  composed  the  Bishop's  house 
hold  drew  as  necessity  required  from  a  common  purse, 
'whereby,'  said  he,  'the  curates  get  as  much  as  their 
elders.'  So  the  Bishop  and  the  three  priests  came  to- 
gether, and  Father  -  —  exposed  his  grievances,  pro- 
posing that  the  Bishop  should  allot  to  each  a  fixed 
salary.  'To  be  sure  I  will,'  cried  Dr.  Conwell,  'and  I'll 
give  Hughes  twice  as  much  as  the  rest  of  you.  It's  he 
that  draws  all  the  people.  He's  the  only  one  of  you 
that  can  preach  decently.'  The  question  of  fixed  sala- 
ries was  not  mooted  again,  and  matters  remained  on 
their  old  footing." ' 

From  the  time  of  Dr.  Kenrick's  appointment  as  Coad- 
jutor of  Philadelphia,  with  powers  of  administration,  Dr. 
Conwell  lived  in  retirement,  appearing  but  seldom  in 
public,  and  then  only  to  grace  some  ceremony  of  dedi- 
cation at  the  request  of  Bishop  Kenrick,  or  to  perform 
some  act  of  mercy  at  the  suggestion  of  his  own  heart. 
The  infirmities  of  extreme  old  age,  and  especially  the 
loss  of  sight,  deprived  him  finally  of  even  these  conso- 
lations ;  but  in  these  latter  afflictions  he  supplied  the. 
place  of  more  active  good  by  the  practice  of  patience, 
meekness,  and  resignation  in  an  unusual  degree.  An 
account  of  the  venerable  Prelate,  written  immediately 
after  his  death,  thus  portrays  his  last  years: — "During 
that  long  period  he  never  betrayed  the  slightest  emotion 
of  anger,  or  harbored  resentment  in  his  breast  towards 
any  human  being.  He  was  full  of  meekness  and  gentle- 
ness in  his  address,  and  dignified  in  deportment,  while 
l.e  evinced  the  guileless  simplicity  of  a  child  in  his  man- 
i  ers  and  conversation.  Though  he  had  lost  his  eye- 

*  Hassard's  Life  of  Archbishop  Hughes. 


326  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

sight  several  years  ago,  he  was  never  heard  to  lament 
the  privation.  Instead  of  rendering-  him  unhappy,  it 
seemed  to  impart  new  energy  to  his  cheerful  habits  and 
conversation.  It  was  delightful  to  hear  this  venerable 
servant  of  God  recount  the  perils  by  sea  and  land,  the 
perils  from  false  brethren,  through  which  he  passed 
during  the  course  of  his  long  and  arduous  mission.  His 
words  were  indeed  words  of  wisdom,  and  were  well  cal- 
culated to  inspire  his  hearers  with  unbounded  confidence 
in  Divine  Providence,  who  had  protected  him,  and 
brought  him  safe  through  so  many  dangers.  Possessing 
all  those  amiable  qualities,  united  to  a  venerable  old  age, 
it  would  be  wonderful  indeed  if  he  were  not  universally 
respected.  By  all  who  knew  him  he  was  beloved,  and 
by  his  clergy  in  particular  he  was  revered  with  filial  af- 
fection and  attachment.  Though  he  had  resigned  the 
administration  of  the  diocese  into  the  hands  of  his  worthy 
coadjutor,  Dr.  Kenrick,  and  retired  from  the  world  alto- 
gether, using  it  as  if  he  used  it  not,  yet  he  continued  to 
be  looked  up  to  with  undiminishcd  reverence  and  re- 
spect, and  treated  on  all  occasions  with  distinguished 
honor.  Indeed  it  was  impossible  to  know  and  not  love, 
respect,  and  honor  him."* 

Bishop  Conwell,  after  an  illness  of  only  a  few  days, 
died  at  his  residence  attached  to  St.  Joseph's  Church, 
Philadelphia,  April  22,  1842.  He  was  ninety-four  years 
old.  His  death  was  that  of  an  humble  and  devout 
Christian.  Those  eyes  that  had  been  so  long  closed  to 
all  earthly  scenes  were  in  death  opened  to  the  beatific 
vision.  Immense  crowds  of  people  turned  out  to  pay 
reverence  to  his  memory;  the  surviving  Bishop  of  the 
diocese,  the  clergy,  the  orphans,  and  a  countless  multi- 

*  Freeman's  Journal,  1842. 


Right  Rev.  Henry  Conwell,  D.D.  327 

tude  followed  his  remains,  making  probably  the  most  im- 
posing funeral  ever  before  witnessed  in  Philadelphia. 
The  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Kenrick  delivered  the  funeral  ser- 
mon, in  which  he  paid  a  glowing  tribute  to  the  many 
virtues  and  exemplary  life  of  the  deceased  Prelate. 


RIGHT  REV.  EDWARD  D.  FENWICK,  D.D. 

First  Bishop  of  Cincinnati,  A.D.,  1822.* 

EDWARD  D.  FENWICK  was  a  descendant,  like  his  cousin 
the  Rt.  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  of  the  Fenwicks 
of  Fenwick  Tower,  Northumberland  County,  England, 
and  of  the  Hon.  Cuthbert  Fenwick,  the  founder  of  the 
family  in  America,  and  one  of  the  early  lawgivers  of 
Maryland.  He  was  born  in  St.  Mary's  County,  Mary- 
land, in  1768,  of  pious  parents,  who  had  adhered  to  the 
faith  through  the  long  years  of  persecution  through 
which  the  Church  passed  in  that  State  prior  to  the  Rev- 
olution. From  his  earliest  youth  he  exhibited  a  "  tender 
and  affectionate  piety  "  remarkable  for  his  years.  In  con- 
sequence of  the  long  prohibition  of  Catholic  schools  in 
his  native  State,  the  parents  of  young  Fenwick,  in  order 
to  preserve  his  innocence  and  develop  the  gifts  of  his 
mind  and  heart,  had  to  send  him  abroad  for  his  educa- 
tion. He  was  accordingly  sent,  when  in  his  sixteenth 
year,  to  the  College  of  Bornheim,  near  Antwerp.  The 
professors  in  this  institution  were  English  Dominicans, 
who  themselves  had  been  forced  to  leave  their  country  in 
order  to  enjoy  perfect  freedom  of  conscience.  He  applied 
himself  to  his  studies  with  industry  and  care,  and  com- 
pleted them  with  success.  The  pious  sentiments  implant- 
ed by  the  sacraments,  by  graces  from  above,  and  cultivat- 
ed by  the  instructions  of  his  good  parents,  in  the  heart 

*Authorities  :  Catholic  Almanac,  1848;  Catholic  Miscellany,  1826  and  1827;  Cath- 
olic Magazine,  1847;  Spalding's  Sketches  of  Kentucky;  De  Courcy  and  Shea's 
Catholic  Church  in  fie  United  States,  etc.,  etc. 


Right  Rev.  Edward  D.  Fenwick,  D.D.       329 

<>f  young  Fenwick,  were  thoroughly  developed  and  en- 
couraged by  his  devout  and  zealous  professors  ;  so  that, 
on  completing  his  collegiate  course,  he  assumed  the  white 
habit  of  St.  Dominic,  emblem  of  purity,  and  entered  the 
Seminary  at  Bornheim  as  a  student  of  theology.  He 
became  professor  in  the  College  of  which  he  had  recent- 
ly been  a  student,  was  also  appointed  procurator  of 
the  house,  and  exerted  his  most  careful  and  earnest  efforts 
to  promote  the  prosperity  of  the  establishment.  Raised 
to  the  priesthood,  he  spent  several  years  at  Bornheim, 
"  edifying  his  brethren  by  his  exemplary  conduct  and  his 
unaffected  piety."  At  this  juncture  the  French  Revolu- 
tionary armies  invaded  Flanders,  and  in  their  progress 
seized  the  colleges  and  religious  institutions,  confiscated 
their  property,  and  pillaged  and  persecuted  the  clergy 
with  rapacious  cruelty.  The  Dominican  College  at 
Bornheim  shared  the  fate  of  the  others,  the  more  so  as  its 
professors  and  officers  were  English.  Father  Fenwick 
was  thrown  into  prison  and  threatened  with  death.  In 
his  distress  he  had  recourse  to  the  intercession  of  the 
blessed  Virgin  Mary,  to  whom  he  ever  afterwards  pious- 
ly and  gratefully  attributed  his  deliverance.  Preferring 
his  claims  of  exemption  as  an  American  citizen,  he  was 
released,  repaired  to  England,  and  was  again  united  with 
his  brethren  of  the  Dominican  Order.  Father  Fenwick 
was  long  desirous  that  a  colony  of  Dominicans  might 
be  sent  to  America,  and  he  and  his  colleagues  now  peti- 
tioned their  General  to  send  out  such  a  colony.  Their 
request  was  granted.  Father  Fenwick  "  in  consequence 
of  his  many  virtues,  and  of  his  being  an  American,"  was 
appointed  their  Superior,  and  his  companions  were 
Fathers  Thomas  Wilson,  William  Raymond  Tuite,  and 
R  Anger,  all  natives  of  England.  The  venerable  Bishop 


330  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

Carroll  received  these  zealous  missionaries  with  cordiality 
and  paternal  affection,  and  welcomed  them  to  his  vast 
diocese,  which  then  embraced  the  entire  United  States. 
Father  Fenwick,  after  an  absence  of  twenty-ore  years, 
was  warmly  greeted  by  his  many  relatives  and  friends, 
but  the  good  missionary  was  wholly  intent  upon  the 
work  of  God,  and  lost  no  time  in  placing  himself  and 
companions  at  the  disposal  of  Bishop  Carroll,  and  con- 
sulted him  as  to  their  future  movements.  He  pointed 
out  to  them  the  vast  and  unprovided  field  of  the  West, 
to  which  he  had  recently  sent  the  indefatigable  Father 
Nerinckx,  but  which  needed  a  corps  of  missionaries  to 
make  an  effectual  impression  on  so  new  and  extensive  a 
mission.  In  the  Fall  of  1805,  Father  Fenwick  paid  his 
first  visit  to  the  West,  and  extended  it  to  the  great  valley 
of  the  Mississippi,  in  order  to  examine  the  country  and 
select  a  suitable  location  for  the  contemplated  institution. 
He  selected  a  farm  in  Washington  County,  Kentucky, 
which  was  purchased  and  paid  for  by  him  from  his  private 
patrimony.  He  returned  to  Maryland,  completed  his 
arrangements,  and  in  the  Spring  of  1806  the  four  hardy 
and  devoted  Dominicans  went  forth  to  their  new  and 
laborious  field  of  labor  and  privations,  clad  in  the  armor 
of  faith  and  armed  with  the  sustaining  cross  : — 
"  With  these,  through  storms  and  bitterness  and  wrath, 
In  peace  and  power  they  hold  their  onward  path." 

The  new  institution  is  called  St.  Rose's,  in  honor  of  the 
first  American  Saint,  who  was  also  a  Dominican. 

The  field  was  quite  new  and  uncultivated.  The  lake- 
shore  in  days  long  past  had  resounded  with  litanies  sung 
by  the  Jesuit  missionaries  and  responded  to  by  the  un- 
tutored sons  of  the  forest ;  from  that  time  till  1793,  when 
the  "  proto-American  priest,"  Father  Badin,  had  visited 


Right  Rev.  Edward  D.  Fenwick    D.D.       331 

for  a  few  days  this  then  remote  border  of  our  Republic, 
no  sacred  office  had  been  said,  no  holy  sacrifice  been  of- 
fered. It  was  Father  Fenwick  and  his  brethren  who  laid 
the  foundations  of  this  infant  frontier  church,  where  now 
is  reared  the  stately  Metropolitan  See,  with  its  flourish- 
ing suffragans.  It  was  in  1814  that  St.  Rose,  sending 
forth  its  spiritual  light,  as  from  a  focus,  began  to  illumin- 
ate the  dark  valleys  and  forests  of  Ohio.  Speaking  of 
Father  Fenwick  as  the  apostle  of  Ohio,  the  Cafliolic 
Telegraph  says :  "  In  his  first  apostolical  excursion,  he 
found  three  Catholic  families  in  the  centre  of  the  State. 
They  consisted  of  twenty  individuals,  occupied  in  clear- 
ing their  lands,  who  had  not  seen  a  priest  for  ten  years. 
He  heard  at  a  great  distance  the  stroke  of  the  axe,  in- 
terrupting the  silence  of  the  forest.  The  joy  of  these 
good  people  at  seeing  the  first  Catholic  priest  was  so 
great  that  Bishop  Fenwick  could  never  recall  the  cir- 
cumstance, without  experiencing  the  greatest  consola- 
tion, because  he  considered  it  the  first  fruits  of  his  Ohio 
mission.  Even  those  families  still  (1848)  speak  of  it 
with  the  greatest  transports  of  joy." 

Drawn  on  by  the  love  of  souls,  influenced  by  his  own 
humility,  and  preferring  obedience  to  command,  Father 
Fenwick  resigned  the  post  of  Provincial  of  his  Order 
into  the  hands  of  Father  Thomas  Wilson,  with  the  per- 
mission of  his  superiors,  in  order  that  he  might  devote 
himself  to  the  severest  labors  of  the  mission.  He  hence- 
forth visited  Ohio  from  St.  Rose's,  which  was  the  head- 
quarters of  his  extensive  mission,  twice  every  year,  and 
found  the  field  expanding  before  him,  each  visit  bringing 
to  light  new  children  of  the  faith  in  that  remote  region. 
In  one  of  these  visitations,  his  travels  were  rewarded  by 
the  cheering  discovery  that  there  were  seven  Catholic 


332  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

families  in  Cincinnati.  They  had  been  deprived  of  the 
graces  of  the  sacraments,  of  the  holy  Mass,  and  of  all  the 
consolations  of  their  religion,  except  their  faith,  to  which 
they  adhered  with  steadfast  perseverance.  The  oldest 
of  these  sturdy  Catholic  pioneers  of  Ohio  was  the  vener- 
able Michael  Scott,  who  had  immigrated  to  Cincinnati 
from  Baltimore  in  1805.  As  a  proof  of  the  piety  and 
zeal  of  this  Catholic  pioneer,  it  is  related  that  he  on  one 
occasion,  at  Easter,  traveled  with  his  wife  and  children 
from  Cincinnati  to  Lexington,  Kentucky,  to  hear  Mass. 
When  we  consider  the  hardships  of  such  a  journey  at 
that  early  period,  we  can  appreciate  the  devotion  and 
love  of  God  that  prompted  it,  and  sympathize  with  those 
heroic  Christians,  in  the  disappointment  they  sustained 
on  their  arrival -at  Lexington,  in  finding  that  the  priest 
had  been  summoned  on  urgent  duty  to  a  distant  point. 
The  ardor  of  these  good  people  was  not  diminished  by 
disappointment.  Like  a  patriarch,  Mr.  Scott  kept  alive 
in  his  family  the  spirit  of  religion,. and  the  observance  of 
such  devotions  as  are  not  denied  even  to  the  wilderness, 
and  promised  them  the  advent  of  a  more  propitious  day, 
when  God  would  send  them  his  anointed  minister  to 
console  them  with  the  living  sacrifice  and  sacraments  of 
the  Church.  It  was  in  the  person  of  Father  Fenwick 
that  he  saw  his  prophetic  words  realized.  The  holy 
sacrifice  was  offered  for  the  first  time  in  the  city  of  Cin- 
cinnati by  this  apostolical  man,  in  the  dwelling  of  Mr. 
Scott.  Very  soon  afterwards  an  appeal  was  published 
at  Dayton,  in  one  of  the  newspapers  of  the  day,  calling 
on  the  Catholics  of  the  neighborhood  to  unite  by  their 
alms  and  exertions  in  providing  the  means  of  erecting  a 
chapel.  This  appeal  proved  eminently  successful,  as 
the  course  of  our  narrative  will  show. 


Right  Rev.  Edward  D.  Fenwick,  D.D.       333 

The  following  allusions  to  Father  Fenwick,  as  the 
Missionary  of  Kentucky  and  Ohio,  are  from  the  pen  of 
Archbishop  Spalding :  *  —  "  Another  ornament  of  the 
(Dominican)  Order  in  North  America,  less  brilliant,  but 
perhaps  more  useful  still,  was  the  illustrious  F.  Edward 
Fenwick.  After  he  had  resigned  the  office  of  Superior, 
he  became  a  general  missionary.  He  was  seldom  at 
home,  and  lived  almost  constantly  on  horseback.  His 
zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls  was  as  boundless  as  it  was 
untiring  and  persevering.  He  traversed  Kentucky  in 
every  direction,  in  quest  of  scattered  Catholic  families, 
whom  he  was  wonc  to  designate  as  '  stray  sheep.' 
Often  he  was  known  to  ride  thirty  or  forty  miles  out  of 
his  way  to  visit  a  lonely  Catholic  family,  of  whose  exist- 
ence he  had  been  informed.  Though  not  gifted  with 
great  natural  talents,  he  possessed  a  peculiar  tact  for  win- 
ning souls  to  Christ.  His  manners  were  of  the  most 
familiar,  affable,  and  winning  kind.  He  could  adapt  him- 
self to  every  emergency,  and  to  every  description  of 
character  and  temperament.  Frank,  open,  and  sincere 
by  nature,  and  an  American  himself,  he  possessed  an 
instinctive  talent  for  dealing  with  Americans,  whether 
Catholics  or  Protestants.  Multitudes  of  the  latter  were 
converted  to  Catholicity  through  his  agency." 

"  Often,  after  a  long  and  painful  ride,  he  reached  at 
nightfall  the  house  of  a  distant  Catholic  family  which 
he  had  determined  to  visit.  Before  dismounting  from 
his  horse,  he  frequently,  on  these  occasions,  entered  into 
familiar  conversation  with  his  new  acquaintances,  by  tell- 
ing them  that  he  had  traveled  out  of  his  way  in  quest 
of  '  st'-ay  sheep  ; '  and  asking  them  '  whether  they  had 
heard  of  any  such  in  that  vicinity.'  Having  thus  estab- 

*  Sketches  of  Kentucky,  p.  155. 


334  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

lished  a  sort  of  intimacy,  he  explained  to  them  in  the 
course  of  the  evening  the  symbolical  meaning  of  '  stray 
sheep,'  and  he  seldom  failed  of  his  object." 

"  But  it  was  on  the  new  missions  of  Ohio  that  Mr. 
Fenwick  was  destined  most  to  signalize  his  missionary 
zeal.  Of  this  mission  he  was  the  first  pioneer  and 
founder.  He  penetrated  into  the  State  for  the  first  time 
in  the  year  1810.  He  then  found,  in  the  vicinity  of  Som- 
erset, only  three  Catholic  families,  of  German  extraction, 
numbering  in  all  about  twenty  members.  He  traversed 
the  State  in  all  directions,  and  was  gratified  to  be  able 
subsequently  to  discover  there  many  other  scattered  fam- 
ilies of  Catholics.  These  he  visited  occasionally,  saying 
Mass  for  them,  instructing  the  children,  and  administer- 
ing the  sacraments.  The  first  churches  of  this  new  mis- 
sion were  founded  by  him."  . 

Father  Fenwick  and  his  nephew,  the  Rev.  N.  D. 
Young,  took  up  their  residence  in  Perry  County,  Ohio. 
A  gentleman  living  near  Somerset,  Mr.  Peter  Dittoe, 
made  a  present  to  the  Order,  of  which  they  were  mem- 
bers, of  a  fine  farm,  consisting  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  on  condition  that  Father  Fenwick  would 
erect  on  it  an  institution  similar  to  that  of  St.  Rose,  in 
Kentucky.  The  venerable  Bishop  Flaget  approved  the 
undertaking,  and  very  soon  the  little  log  chapel  of  St. 
Joseph's  arose  in  the  forest  that  contributed  the  materials 
for  its  erection,  and  was  dedicated  December  6th  of  the 
same  year.  A  stone  addition  was  soon  built  to  the  log 
chapel,  which  for  some  time  was  of  "  partly  logs  and 
partly  stone."  "  When  the  congregation,  which  consist- 
ed of  only  ten  families  when  the  chapel  was  first  opened, 
had  increased  in  number,  and  a  new  addition,  or  to  speak 
more  correctly,  a  separate  church,  of  brick,  marked  the 


Right  Rev.  Edward  D.  Fenwick,  D.D.       335 

progress  of  improvement,  and  afforded  new  facilities  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  faithful,  an  humble  convent, 
whose  reverend  inmates — one  American,  Rev.  N.  D. 
Young,  one  Irishman,  Rev.  Thomas  Martin,  and  one 
Belgian, 'Rev.  Vincent  de  Rymacher — cheerfully  shared 
in  all  the  hardships  and  privations  incident  to  the  new 
colony,  was  erected  near  the  Church,  and  from  its  peace- 
ful precincts  the  saving  truths  of  faith  were  conveyed, 
and  its  divine  sacraments  administered,  to  many  a  weary 
emigrant  who  had  almost  despaired  of  enjoying  those 
blessings  in  the  solitude  he  had  selected  for  his  home. 
The  benedictions  of  the  poor  and  the  refreshing  dews 
of  heaven  descended  on  the  spiritual  seed  thus  sown. 
It  increased  and  multiplied  an  hundred  fold."'  It  is  re- 
lated that  their  convent  home  was  so  deeply  buried  in  the 
woods  that  immediate  precautions  were  rendered  neces- 
sary in  order  to  avert  the  danger  of  trees  falling  upon 
and  crushing  the  structure.  Thus  for  several  years  these 
saintly  Dominicans  continued  to  pray  and  to  bless ;  to 
render  the  wilderness  vocal  with  the  divine  homage ; 
to  bestow  on  their  fellow-men  the  light  of  faith  ;  and  to 
sustain  and  emulate  each  other  in  the  love  of  solitude, 
in  charity,  love,  and  peace.  Well  may  they  have  said  to 
each  other  that  religion  hath 

"  Made  this  life  more  sweet 

Than  that  of  painted  pomp !  Are  not  these  woods 
More  free  from  peril  than  the  envious  court  ?  " 

)r  rather  may  we  not  exclaim:— 

"  O,  happiness  of  sweet  retired  content ! 
To  be  at  once  secure  and  innocent !" 

But  the  life  of  the  pioneer  missionary  is  one  of  labor, 
travel,  and  self-denial.     They  traversed  vast  solitudes  in 

*  Catholic  Almanae  for  1848. 


336  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

quest  of  souls,  and  laid  broad  and  deep  the  strong-  foun- 
dations of  a  future  Church.  In  1819  a  small  frame  chapel 
was  erected  in  Cincinnati,  just  without  the  corporate 
limits.  New  congregations  of  the  faithful  were  gathered 
together,  and  temples,  simple  but  holy,  were  erected  to 
the  One  God  in  various  parts  of  the  then  frontier  of  the 
Republic.  Thus  we  find  at  Somerset,  Lancaster,  Zanes- 
ville,  St.  Barnabas,  Morgan  County,  Rehoboth,  and  St. 
Patrick's,  seven  miles  from  St.  Joseph's,  at  Sapp's  Settle- 
ment, and  at  other  more  distant  points,  the  faithful  were 
assembled  and  churches  erected.  Well  has  it  been  said 
that  "the  white  habit  of  St.  Dominic  was  hailed  by  the 
lonely  Catholic  as  the  harbinger  of  glad  tidings,  and  the 
symbol  of  the  joy,  the  purity,  and  the  triumphs  which  at- 
test the  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  fulfilment 
of  the  promises  made  by  her  Divine  Father  to  the 
Church." 

Bishop  Flaget,  in  consequence  of  the  great  increase  ol 
Catholics  in  his  vast  diocese,  and  the  necessity  of  divid- 
ing his  extended  labors  with  others,  applied  to  Rome  for 
the  erection  of  new  dioceses  in  the  West.  It  has  already 
been  related  that  as  early  as  1789  an  episcopal  see  was 
in  contemplation  for  Ohio,  and  how  the  project  was 
abandoned.*  Now,  on  the  recommendation  of  Bishop 
Flaget,  Pope  Pius  VII.,  by  his  bulls  of  June  19,  1821, 
created  the  new  diocese  of  Cincinnati,  and  appointed 
Father  Edward  Fenwick  its  first  Bishop,  who  was  also 
charged  with  the  administration  of  the  episcopal  office 
for  the  territories  of  Michigan.  He  was  consecrated  by 
Bishop  Flaget,  assisted,  as  authorized  by  the  Papal 
brief,  by  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Wilson  and  Hill,  O.P.,  on  the 
feast  of  the  Holy  Name  of  Jesus,  January  13,  1822,  in 

*  See  Life  of  Archbishop  Carroll, 


Right  Rev.  Edward  D.  Fenwick,  D.D.       337 

the  Church  of  St.  Rose,  Washington  County,  Kentucky. 
The  consecration  sermon  was  preached  by  the  Right 
Rev.  Dr.  David,  Coadjutor  of  Bardstown.  The  follow- 
ing spring,  the  Bishop,  accompanied  by  two  other  Do- 
minicans, repaired  to  Cincinnati  and  entered  upon  his 
sacred  office.  No  Bishop  probably  ever  entered  a  dio- 
cese more  destitute  of  the  means  of  affording  him  even 
a  scanty  subsistence.  The  congregation  were  too  few 
and  too  poor  to  offer  him  a  lodging,  and  a  small  rented 
house  served  him  at  once  both  for  episcopal  palace  and 
seminary.  His  church,  if  such  it  may  be  called,  was  an 
unfinished  frame  building,  without  ceiling  or  plaster,  a 
mile  distant  from  the  town.  Such  was  the  first  Cathe- 
dral of  Cincinnati.  "  It  is  very  obvious,"  remarks  the 
biographer  of  Bishop  Fenwick,  in  the  Catholic  Almanac, 
"  that  a  Bishop  placed  over  such  a  diocese  was  called, 
not  to  wealth,  but  to  poverty — not  to  rest,  but  to  labor. 
When,  therefore,  the  Bishop  elect  sincerely  uttered  the 
well-known  words :  '  Nolo  episcopari?  and  buried  him- 
self in  his  missions,  as  soon  as  he  had  heard  of  the  arri- 
val of  the  bulls  from  Rome,  hoping  by  that  means  to  free 
himself  from  the  charge,  it  was  not  from  opposition  to 
poverty,  which  he  had  already  vowed,  nor  to  labor,  to 
which  he  had  been  always  devoted,  but  from  an  humble 
diffidence  in  his  own  learning  and  virtue,  which  exalted 
him  as  much  in  the  estimation  of  others,  as  he  was  little 
in  his  own  eyes,  and  loved  '  to  be  unknown  and  thought 
little  of  by  others.' '  Yielding  to  the  mandate  of  Rome, 
this  saintly  Prelate  entered  with  courage  and  cheerful- 
ness upon  the  field  of  labor  and  poverty  that  lay  before 
him.  After  a  few  months,  his  humble  church  was  re- 
moved into  the  town,  and  appropriately  fitted  up  for  di- 
vine service.  So  zealous  and  industrious  were  the  la- 

22 


33 8  Lives,  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

bors  of  the  Bishop,  and  so  successful  his  ministry,  that  in 
less  than  two  years  this  building  was  unable  to  accom- 
modate the  crowds  that  flocked  to  its  humble  altar  every 
Sunday.  A  larger  church  became  absolutely  necessary. 
This  and  the  other  pressing  wants  of  his  infant  diocese, 
and  his  utter  inability  to  supply  them,  brought  the  good 
Bishop  to  the  determination  of  going  to  Rome  to  lay  his 
petitions  for  relief  at  the  feet  of  the  Holy  Father.  On 
arriving  at  Bordeaux  he  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Rev. 
Stephen  Theodore  Badin,  at  Paris,  which  well  portrays 
both  the  condition  of  his  diocese  and  his  own  feelings  in 
undertaking  the  journey  :— 

"  REV.  DEAR  FRIEND  : 

"  I  arrived  here  on  the  6th  inst.  (August,  1823),  after 
a  passage  of  twenty-eight  days  from  New  York,  and 
was  happy  to  receive  your  kind  and  welcome  letter,  at 
the  Archbishop's,  three  days  after  my  arrival.  I  had 
left  Cincinnati  on  the  3Oth  of  May.  Having  in  so  many 
instances  of  my  life  experienced  the  fatherly  care  and 
protection  of  God,  the  bestower  of  all  good  gifts,  I 
confidently  hope  that  the  same  Divine  Providence  will 
continue  through  the  remainder  of  my  arduous  under- 
taking to  accompany  me.  It  has  supplied  me,  upon 
loan,  with  the  sum  precisely  necessary  for  my  voyage  to 
this  place,  and  no  more,  in  order  to  keep  me  always  in 
its  dependence.  Our  poor  backwoods  are  now  so  mise- 
rable, that  I  could  not  have  a  sou  given  me,  neither  by 
my  brethren  in  the  episcopacy,  nor  by  the  priests  of 
Kentucky,  nor  of  my  own  diocese.  Indeed,  I  esteemed 
myself  happy  to  borrow  without  interest,  of  a  Catholic 
layman,  the  sum  of  about  five  hundred  francs,  now  almost 
exhausted. 


Right  Rev.  Edward  D.  Fenwick,  D.D.       339 

"  I  am  really  sorry,  my  dear  sir,  that  j  ou  cannot  con- 
veniently join  and  accompany  me  to  Rome.  My  object 
in  going-  is  to  resign,  if  allowed,  my  dignity  to  better 
hands  and  superior  heads  ;  if  not  allowed,  to  beg  for 
means  of  subsistence  and  all  necessary  supplies  for  the 
mission,  especially  funds  to  build  a  church  in  Cincinnati, 
and  to  pay  for  the  lot  I  have  purchased.  I  have  already 
raised  for  my  Cathedral,  at  present,  a  wooden  chapel, 
fifty-rive  feet  by  thirty.  I  had  not  then  a  sou  of  money ; 
all  has  been  done  on  credit,  and  a  great  portion  of  the 
expenses  remain  still  to  be  paid.  The  object  of  my 
journey  is  also  to  procure  means  for  securing,  in  the 
vicinity  of  my  episcopal  town,  the  domain  of  a  small 
tract  of  land  and  a  large  convenient  house  well  calcula- 
ted for  a  Seminary Moreover,  I  wish  to  ob- 
tain a  Bishop  for  Detroit  and  a  coadjutor  for  myself,  and 
some  good  divines,  in  case  my  resignation  be  not  ac- 
cepted." 

"  I  wish  you  also,  my  dear  sir,  to  contribute  your  mite 
for  relieving  my  distresses.  I  mean,  and  beg  that  you 
draw  up  and  have  printed,  a  short  and  clear  description 
of  my  forlorn  and  helpless  condition,  of  the  extent  and 
wants  of  my  diocese,  of  the  number  and  scattered  situa- 
tion of  the  poor  Catholics,  &c.  When  I  came  first  to 
the  State  of  Ohio,  nine  years  ago,  I  discovered  only 
three  Catholic  families  from  Limestone  (Maysville)  to 
Wheeling.  Now  the  State  contains  no  less  than  eight 
thousand.  There  are  also  ten  or  twelve  thousand  in 
Michigan.  Moreover,  there  are  in  Ohio  two  thousand  In- 
dians, living  on  the  Seneca  river,  some  of  whom  are  Cath- 
olics, and  they  are  obliged  to  cross  Lake  Erie  to  reach 
Maiden  and  Sandwich,  in  Canada,  in  order  to  have  their 
children  baptized,  and  their  marriages  celebrated  by  a 


340  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

Catholic  priest.  In  the  wilderness  watered  by  the  San- 
dusky  river  there  are  two  settlements  of  white  people, 
one  of  Catholics  and  the  other  of  Methodists,  upon  the 
two  opposite  sides  of  the  river.  I  intend,  if  possible,  to 
have  two  missionaries  traveling  continually  from  place 
to  place,  especially  devoting  their  labors  and  services 
among  the  Indians." 

"  I  think  we  may  count  two  or  three  hundred  converts 
since  I  resided  in  Ohio.  Five  wooden  churches  are 
actually  built  and  four  more 'are  building.  The  popula- 
tion of  Ohio,  according  to  the  last  census,  is  six  hundred 
thousand  souls.  Catholics  are  to  be  found  in  every 
county,  and  I  have  met  many  Germans  and  Swiss.  I 
offer  to  God  many  prayers  for  some  zealous  and  disinter- 
ested German  priests.  I  say  disinterested,  for  all  mis- 
sionaries must  entirely  depend  on  Divine  Providence. 
Although  a  Bishop,  I  have  no  revenue  but  the  rent  of 
twenty-five  or  thirty  pews  in  the  Cincinnati  chapel, 
which  produce,  at  most,  a  yearly  income  of  eighty  dol- 
lars. You  know  a  little  of  my  exertions,  sacrifices,  and 
labors  in  Kentucky :  That  I  devoted  my  whole  paternal 
estate,  and  all  I  could  collect,  scrape  up,  and  save; 
that  I  really  debarred  myself  of  comforts,  and  even  ne- 
cessaries ;  that  I  undertook  long  and  painful  jaunts  to 
found  and  promote  the  establishment  of  St.  Rose  ;  and 
behold,  I  am  now  deprived  of  all  right  and  claim  on  the 
Order,  being  taken  out  of  it.  Assumptus  ex  ordine  ad 
episcopatum  !  I  was  obliged  by  my  rule  and  vows  to 
render  an  account  of  all  property,  even  of  books  and  fur- 
niture, that  I  had  been  allowed  to  use." 

"  When  I  took  possession  of  the  diocese,  I  had  to  rent 
a  house  to  live  in,  and  to  send  to  market  for  the  first 
meal  we  took  in  the  episcopal  town,  no  provision  what- 


Right  Rev.  Edward  D.  Fenwick,  D.D.       341 

ever  having  been  made  for  the  maintenance  of  the  Bishop. 
I  had  not  a  sou  but  what  the  good  people  of  St.  Rose's 
congregation  in  Kentucky  had  given  me  by  subscription, 
four  or  five  hundred  dollars  in  paper  money,  which  was 
depreciated  to  one-half  in  the  Ohio  State." 

"  I  had  but  six  congregations  when  (eighteen  months 
ago)  I  first  went  to  reside  in  Cincinnati ;  now  there  are 
twenty-two,  at  least  that  I  have  visited." 

"  You  will  conceive  how  great  is  the  want  of  mission- 
aries in  my  extensive  diocese,  when  you  learn  that  I 
possess  only  seven  priests,  and  have  neither  seminary, 
professors,  nor  schools.  The  Rev.  Messrs.  Hill  and 
Stephen  Montgomery,  O.  S.  D.,  are  charged  with  the 
Western  congregations,  and  all  scattered  Catholics,  as 
far  as  Vevay,  in  the  Indiana  Fort,  St.  Mary's,  Lake  Erie, 
Chillicothe,  etc.  Rev.  Mr.  Young,  my  nephew,  and  two 
confreres  ordained  by  me,  extend  their  rides  and  mis- 
sionary duties  in  the  East  to  Marietta,  St.  Clairville, 
New  Lisbon,  etc. 

"I  feel  anxious  to  arrive  at  Rome  as  soon  as  possible, 
in  order  to  know  my  fate,  and  see  the  Holy  Father.  I 
intend  to  return  from  Rome  in  three  months,  and  shall 
pass  through  Paris,  Flanders,  and  England  before  em- 
barking for  the  United  States.  Accept  the  assurance, 
etc.,  etc." 

"  EDWARD  D.  FENWICK, 

"Bishop  of  Cincinnati." 

"Leo  XII.  received  the  Bishop  with  a  kindness  truly 
paternal.  He  not  only  presented  him  with  a  splendid 
tabernacle,  which  is  still  (1848)  unsurpassed  by  any- 
thing of  the  kind  in  the  United  States,  and  a  set  of  can- 
dlesticks, a  chalice,  etc.,  for  his  cathedral,  but  he  also 


34 2  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

gave  him  twelve  thousand  Roman  crowns  towards  the 
expenses  of  his  journey,  and  directed  the  Cardinal  Pre- 
fect of  the  Propaganda  to  recommend  him  not  only  to 
the  association  lately  commenced  at  Lyons,  but  also  to 
the  friends  of  religion  in  general,  and  especially  to  those 
whose  wealth  enabled  them  to  be  munificent  patrons  of 
the  foreign  missions.  Animated  by  the  example  of  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff,  and  the  letters  of  the  Cardinal  Prefect, 
other  members  of  the  Sacred  College,  especially  Cardinal 
Fesch,  uncle  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  conferred  on  the 
amiable  Prelate  the  most  substantial  marks  of  their  re- 
gard for  himself  and  their  sympathy  for  the  destitution 
of  his  flock.  The  King  of  France,  and  the  wealthy  and 
generous  Catholics  of  his  kingdom,  as  well  as  those 
of  Sardinia,  Belgium,  Spain,  and  Germany,  emulated  the 
noble  precedent  thus  given  them  in  the  Eternal  City, 
and  the  dejected  Bishop,  who  had  landed  on  the  shores 
of  Europe  very  much  in  the  condition  of  the  '  sower  who 
sowed  in  tears,'  returned  like  that  sower,  'with  joyful- 
ness,'  having  gathered  a  rich  harvest."' 

On  his  return  he  visited  Philadelphia,  and  used  his 
charitable  efforts  to  reconcile  the  differences  between  the 
Bishop  of  that  see  and  the  trustees  of  St.  Mary's  Church 
in  that  city.  His  return  to  Cincinnati  was  hailed  by  his 
flock  throughout  the  diocese  with  great  joy.  He  at  once 
went  to  work  with  the  resources  acquired  by  him  in  Eu- 
rope ;  the  new  Cathedral  was  commenced  among  his  first 
acts,  and  on  the  first  Sunday  of  Advent,  1826,  the  Catho- 
lics of  that  city  had  the  happiness  of  attending  divine 
service  within  this  elegant  temple.  The  fine  paintings 
that  decorated  its  walls,  and  the  splendid  pontifical  vest- 
ments in  which  the  good  Prelate  officiated,  were  to  the 

*  Catholic  Almanac ;  1848. 


Right  Rev.  Edward  D.  Fenwick,  D.D.       343 

people  additional  evidences  of  his  successful  visit  abroad. 
At  the  jubilee,  commencing  on  Christmas  and  ending  on 
New  Year's  day,  two  hundred  devout  souls  received  the 
Holy  Communion,  where  a  few  years  before  eleven  com- 
municants were  all  that  could  be  counted.  Soon  after- 
wards the  Bishop,  having  determined  to  go  through  the 
principal  cities  and  towns  to  arouse  the  people  to  a  sense 
of  their  spiritual  necessities,  sent  before  him,  as  pioneers, 
the  Rev.  Messrs.  Ignatius  Mullon  and  N.  D.  Young,* 
two  of  the  earliest  and  most  zealous  missionaries  of  the 
West,  and  in  connection  with  them  the  Bishop  canvassed 
the  country  in  quest  of  souls.  They  preached  twice  a 
day  for  eight  days  in  St.  Mary's  Church,  Lancaster ; 
St.  Joseph's,  near  Somerset ;  St.  John's,  Zanesville ; 
St.  John's,  Canton ;  four  days  in  St.  Barnabas',  Morgan 
County;  five  in  St.  Paul's,  Columbiana  County;  an  entire 
week  in  St.  Luke's,  Knox  County;  and  in  St.  Dominic's, 
Guernsey  County.  Their  sermons  were  attended  by 
crowds  of  all  denominations,  and  in  every  court-house 
and  other  suitable  place  that  could  be  procured  they 
instructed  the  masses  on  "the  one  thing  necessary." 
Many  of  the  people  traveled  for  miles,  and  frequently 
on  foot,  to  hear  them,  and  many  others  came  into  the 
towns  and  cities,  and  remained  there  during  the  stay  of 
the  Bishop  and  his  missionaries.  Some  idea  of  the 
splendid  results  of  this  extraordinary  apostolical  journey 
may  be  formed  from  the  fact,  that  in  Lancaster  there 
were  sixty  communicants,  four  hundred  at  St.  Joseph's, 
forty  at  St.  Barnabas',  ninety  at  Zanesville,  fifty  at  St 
Dominic's,  and  one  hundred  at  Canton,  and  many  adults 
and  children  received  into  the  Church,  and  inveterate 
sinners  converted. 

*  Now  the  oldest  priest  in  the  United  States,  by  ordination. 


344  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

The  Bishop  was  anxious  for  the  education  of  the 
youth  of  his  diocese,  and  addressed  himself  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  schools  for  them.  He  first  opened  a  school 
at  Cincinnati  under  the  Sisters  known  as  "  Poor  Clares," 
who,  though  they  did  not  long  remain,  did  good  service 
in  their  time.  He  subsequently  introduced  the  Sisters 
of  Charity  from  Emmitsburg,  and  afterwards  also  the 
members  of  the  Third  Order  of  St.  Dominic  at  Somerset, 
Perry  County.  He  also  established  the  Athenaeum,  now 
better  known  as  St.  Francis  Xavier's  College,  in  which 
the  academic  exercises  commenced  October  17,  1831. 
The  Bishop  also  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  his  Cathe- 
dral thronged  with  Protestants  as  well  as  Catholics 
every  Sunday,  and  he  provided  a  place  there  expressly 
for  Protestants,  whose  deportment  was  always  earnest 
and  even  edifying.  He  was  assisted  in  his  gigantic 
labors  in  Cincinnati  by  the  Very  Rev.  John  Austin  Hill, 
of  the  Dominican  Order,  Vicar-General  of  the  diocese; 
Rev.  Raphael  Mufios,  O.S.D.,  a  native  of  Grenada,  in 
Spain,  and  the  Rev.  John  Thomas  Hynes,  of  the  same 
Order,  who  was  afterwards  Apostolic  Administrator  of 
British  Guiana. 

The  Bishop  next  went  forth  to  visit  his  scattered  and 
distant  flock  in  the  North-Western  Territory,  where  his 
presence  was  greatly  needed.  At  Green  Bay  an  adven- 
turer named  Fauvel,  calling  himself  an  ecclesiastic  in 
minor  orders,  and  supposed  to  be  the  same  person  that 
had  persuaded  a  few  simple-minded  Indians  to  go  to 
Europe  with  him,  where  he  had  availed  himself  of  their 
exhibitions  to  collect  money  on  various  pretences,  was 
then  engaged  in  deceiving  and  misleading  the  Catholic 
Indians.  Bishop  Fenwick  first  expelled  this  wolf  from 
the  fold,  and  then  went  to  work  in  good  earnest  among 


Right  Rev.  Edward  D.  Fenwick,  D.D.       345 

them.  His  arrival  was  the  signal  for  a  general  gather- 
ing of  the  Indians  to  greet  him  and  receive  his  spiritual 
aid.  On  the  morning  of  the  Ascension,  the  day  after 
his  arrival,  lake  and  river  were  all  alive  with  the  light 
canoes,  bringing  the  sons  of  the  forest  to  the  chapel. 
Confirming  them  in  the  faith,  he  proceeded  to  Arbre- 
Croche,  forty  miles  from  Mackinaw,  where  he  was  re- 
ceived, as  he  landed,  by  a  procession  of  the  tribe,  headed 
by  a  large  silver  cross  and  the  national  flag,  and  the  im- 
mense multitude  knelt  to  receive  his  blessing.  Here 
much  time  was  spent  in  hearing  confessions,  for  which 
purpose  interpreters  of  their  own  choice  were  used,  a 
female  interpreter  for  the  women  and  a  male  interpreter 
for  the  men ;  in  administering  the  Sacraments,  receiving 
converts  ;  and,  among  other  good  works,  a  temperance 
society  was  organized,  which  did  great  good  in  their 
midst.  Thence  the  Bishop  and  his  attendant,  Father 
Mullon,  went  to  Mackinaw,  where  for  three  weeks  they 
labored  with  immense  results  for  the  spiritual  good  of 
the  natives.  It  was  here  that  he  formed  the  design  of 
providing  priests  for  the  Indians  from  their  own  numbers, 
and  selected  two  gifted  and  devout  Indian  youths,  whom 
he  sent  to  Rome  for  the  purpose  of  being  prepared  for 
the  ecclesiastical  state,  and  who  were  received  by  the 
Holy  Father  and  the  College  of  the  Propaganda  with 
open  arms,  and  of  whose  progress  the  most  gratifying 
accounts  were  returned  from  Rome.  But  Providence 
did  not  design  that  this  project  should  succeed,  for  dis- 
ease carried  off  one  of  these  young  men  and  ill  health 
compelled  the  other  to  return  to  his  tribe.  This  is  said 
to  have  been  the  only  effort  made  on  this  part  of  the 
North  American  Continent  to  promote  the  aboriginal 
race  to  the  holy  priesthood.  From  Mackinaw  they  pro- 


346  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

ceeded  to  Detroit,  then  under  the  pastoral  care  of  the 
Rev.  Gabriel  Richard,  and  after  spending  a  week  here 
in  instructing  the  people,  the  Bishop  gave  the  first  com- 
munion to  fifty  persons,  in  the  Church  of  St.  Ann,  and 
one   hundred   and    fifty  were    confirmed.     The   Bishop 
then  proceeded  through  St.  Paul's,   St.   Anthony's,   St. 
Joseph's,  Fort  Meigs,  which  he  reached  through  Mud 
Creek  in  a  canoe  ;   Port  Clinton,  and  other  places  ;  in  all 
of  which  he  rallied  the  Catholics,  whom  he  instructed 
and  baptized,  and  to  whom   he  also   administered  the. 
sacraments  of  confirmation  and  Holy  Eucharist     Lots 
were    procured   at   several    places    for   the   erection   of 
Churches,  and  the  seed  of  the  gospel  sowed  far  and  near, 
and  the  foundations  of  the  Western  Church  laid  broad 
and  deep.     So  effective  and  powerful  were  the  labors  of 
Bishop   Fenwick  in   the  West,  and  so  rapid  were  the 
strides  which  the  Catholic  Church   was  making  under 
his  zealous   and   vigorous   administration,   that   shortly 
after  his  return  to  Cincinnati  he  was  met  with  the  bitter- 
est opposition  from  the  sectarian  pulpit  and  press,  and 
every  effort  was  made  to  prejudice  Catholics  and  their 
Church  in  the  eyes  of  the  public ;  republican  institutions 
were  said  to  be  in  danger  from  Popery,  and  all  the  ele- 
ments of  bigotry,  prejudice,  and  sectarian  hatred  were 
appealed  to  in  order  to  raise  an  opposition  to  its  en- 
croachments.    The  good  Bishop  met  these  trials  with 
prayer  and  humility,  and,  without  relaxing  his  labors  or 
deviating  from  his  course,  trusted  to  time  and  the  .provi- 
dence of  God  for  their  removal. 

In  October,  1829,  Bishop  Fenwick  attended  the  First 
Provincial  Council,  summoned  to  meet  at  Baltimore  by 
Archbishop  Whitfield,  to  whose  deliberations  and  labors 
he  contributed  his  earnest  and  best  efforts.  After  the 


Right  Rev.  Edward  D.  Fenwick,  D.D.       347 

adjournment  of  the  Council,  he  visited  the  religious  and 
educational  institutions  of  the  archdiocese  of  Baltimore, 
and  many  relatives  and  friends,  by  all  of  whom  he  was  re- 
ceived with  great  interest  and  profound  veneration  as  a 
patriarch  and  an  apostle.  His  journey  back  to  Cincin- 
nati was  one  of  labor ;  he  stopped  at  various  places  on 
the  route  to  administer  confirmation  and  promote  the  re- 
ligious interests  of  the  communities  which  he  visited. 
On  resuming  his  duties  at  Cincinnati,  the  Bishop  thought 
it  his  duty,  in  compliance  with  the  recommendations  of 
the  Council,  to  attempt  the  establishment  of  an  Ecclesi- 
astical Seminary.  But  his  means  were  entirely  inade- 
quate for  such  a  purpose  ;  he  did  all  in  his  power,  and 
left  the  rest  to  God.  This  undertaking  could  not  be 
sustained  for  want  of  means,  and  the  diocese  of  Cincin- 
nati was  obliged  to  depend  upon  the  Seminary  at  Bards- 
town  and  an  occasional  accession  of  a  priest  from  some 
other  diocese. 

In  the  spring  of  1830  Bishop  Fenwick  started  again  to 
traverse  his  diocese  in  search  of  souls,  and  was  accom- 
panied by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Miles.*  He  visited  Guernsey 
County,  Zanesville,  Mt.  Vernon,  St.  Joseph's,  and  Lan- 
caster, undergoing  the  same  labors  and  reaping  a  similar 
harvest  as  were  described  as  the  results  of  his  first  visi- 
tation. At  the  same  time  he  sent  his  Vicar-General,  the 
Rev.  Frederick  Reze,f  on  an  extensive  tour  among  the 
Indians  of  the  Northwest.  On  arriving  at  St.  Joseph's 
river,  Michigan,  the  Indians  encamped  around  him  and 
received  his  words  with  great  joy,  for  the  traditions 
derived  from  the  old  French  missionaries  were  alive 
amongst  them.  At  the  council  of  the  chiefs,  called  to 

*  Afterwards  Bishop  of  Nashville;  see  his  Life. 
\  Afterwards  Bishop  of  Detroit. 


348  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

decide  upon  a  spot  for  the  erection  of  a  church,  it  was 
unanimously  resolved  to  give  the  missionary  station  of 
the  sectarian  minister  for  this  purpose,  and  the  parson 
was  notified  to  vacate  the  same.  It  was  soon  turned 
into  a  Catholic  chapel.  Success  accompanied  his  mis- 
sion at  every  step.  Only  one  additional  detail  will  be 
mentioned:  on  arriving  at  Arbre-Croche,  where  Rev. 
Mr.  Dejean  had  been  stationed,  he  found  that  that  zeal- 
ous missionary  had,  in  the  short  space  of  twelve  months, 
received  twelve  hundred  converts  into  the  Church,  and 
on  this  occasion  one  hundred  and  four  more  were  added. 
The  ministers  of  other  denominations  were  found  in 
these  remote  regions,  but  the  Indians  always  preferred 
the  black-gown,  and  gave  as  a  reason  for  so  doing  that 
"the  ministers  have  families  like  ourselves,  but  the  black- 
gowns,  like  the  Great  Spirit,  are  the  fathers  of  all." 

In  June,  1830,  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  England,  of 
Charleston,  at  the  solicitation  of  Bishop  Fenwick,  de- 
livered a  course  of  lectures  at  Cincinnati  on  the  doctrines 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  which  were  attended  by  great 
crowds  of  Protestants  as  well  as  Catholics,  and  which 
for  months  afterwards  yielded  an  abundant  fruit  in  the 
numerous  conversions  to  the  Church  which  Bishop  Fen- 
wick  had  the  happiness  to  witness.  The  extension  of 
the  Catholic  religion  not  only  in  Cincinnati,  but  also  in 
every  part  of  the  vast  diocese  of  Bishop  Fenwick,  was 
wonderful,  and  the  good  Prelate  derived  infinite  consola- 
tion from  beholding  all  around  him  the  gratifying  fruits 
of  his  immense  labors.  No  portion  of  his  diocese  failed 
to  receive  his  personal  attention,  and  the  travels  and  la- 
bors of  this  pious  and  indefatigable  Prelate,  as  handed 
down  to  us  by  tradition,  are  almost  incredible.  'He  was 
sometimes  absent  from  Cincinnati  nearly  an  entire  year 


Right  Rev.  Edward  D.  Fenwick>  D.D.       349 

at  a  time,  traveling-  from  city  to  city,  and  over  vast  re 
gions  of  country,  and  spending  a  considerable  portion  of 
time  among  the  Indians,  to  whose  salvation  he  was  de- 
voted. In  the  spring  of  1832  he  despatched  the  Vicar- 
General,  Rev.  Mr.  Rez£,  to  New  York  with  the  two 
Indian  youths  destined  for  the  priesthood,  whom  that 
reverend  gentleman  saw  embark  for  Europe.  He  had  in- 
structions from  the  Bishop,  who  had  been  for  some  time 
ill  at  Cincinnati,  to  return  there  and  make  a  missionary 
journey  through  the  diocese ;  but  he  was  met  at  St. 
Joseph's,  near  Somerset,  by  the  Bishop,  who  had  de- 
termined to  go  on  this  arduous  trip  himself,  and  Mr. 
Reze,  having  received  full  instructions  as  to  his  course  in 
the  event  of  the  Bishop's  death,  returned  to  Cincinnati, 
while  the  Bisfiop  started  on  his  apostolical  journey.  "  In 
this  visitation  the  Bishop  traversed  an  extent  of  more 
than  two  thousand  miles,  and  on  every  side  he  was  beset 
with  difficulty  to  provide  for  the  increasing  wants  of  the 
faithful.  All  were  imploring  his  aid ;  some  to  have 
churches  erected,  and  others  to  secure  a  competent  sup- 
port for  their  clergy.  In  addition  to  these  laborious 
cares,  which  demanded  the  attention  of  the  Bishop,  the 
cholera  was  ravaging  the  country  round,  and  presented 
an  active  field  for  the  charity  of  the  good  shepherd,  who 
would  lay  down  his  life  for  his  sheep.'-'  *  The  disease  soon 
seized  upon  the  Bishop,  at  the  Saut  St.  Mary ;  he  suf- 
fered greatly  from  its  effects,  but  he  recovered  sufficiently 
to  prosecute  his  journey  to  Arbre-Croche  and  Mackinaw. 
From  the  latter  place  he  addressed  a  letter  to  a  friend  in 
Europe,  from  which  the  following  extract  is  taken:  "  My 
health  is  much  impaired  and  my  strength  is  visibly  di- 
minishing. I  have  just  visited  the  good  Indians  at  Arbre- 

•  Catholit  Almanae,  1848. 


350  Lives  of  the   Catholic  Bishops. 

Croche,  among  whom  I  had  stationed  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Baraga,*  and  an  elderly  and  pious  lady,  who  knows  three 
languages,  the  English,  French,  and  Indian.  She  is  the 
teacher  of  the  children  in  this  place.  The  zealous  mis- 
sionary has  been  wonderfully  successful,  having  extended 
his  visits  as  far  as  the  Castor  Islands,  and  beyond  Lake 
Michigan,  where  he  has  erected  several  churches.  Since 
May,  1831,  he  has  baptized  two  hundred  and  sixty-six 
Indians.  I  confirmed  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  of 
the  same  tribe,  and  was  much  consoled  by  their  fervor 
and  piety.  There  are  actually  at  St.  Peter's,  Arbre- 
Croche,  seven  hundred  Indians  who  are  Christians,  most 
of  whom  have  received  the  sacrament  of  confirmation. 
They  have  two  schools  for  children.  There  is  also  a 
s'chool  at  St.  Joseph's,  and  another  at  Green  Bay,  where 
there  is  a  church  nearly  finished.  My  college  is  in  active 
operation,  and  the  seminary  is  rising." 

On  his  return  to  Detroit,  the  Bishop  found  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Richard  prostrated  with  the  cholera.  This  noble 
soldier  of  the  cross  fell  a  victim  to  his  zeal  in  serving  the 
sick  and  dying,  and  to  his  love  for  his  neighbor.  The 
Bishop  was  soon  to  follow  his  friend  and  co-laborer,  but  not 
until  after  he  had  visited,  in  his  feeble  state  of  health,  the 
most  remote  stations  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  diocese. 
At  the  places  where  he  stopped  he  told  his  friends  that 
they  then  saw  him  for  the  last  time.  At  Canton  he  was 
again  attacked  by  the  cholera,  but  continued  to  attend  to 
his  duties,  and  wrote  from  this  place  two  long  letters  on 
the  affairs  of  the  diocese.  On  the  25th  of  September 
he  started  from  Canton  with  the  intention  of  visiting  two 
or  three  congregations  near  Somerset,  and  of  then  re- 
turning to  Cincinnati ;  but  on  the  way  his  disease  was  so 

*  Afterwards  Bishop  of  Marquette ;  see  his  Life. 


Right  Rev.  Edward  D.  Feniuick,  D.D.       351 

severe,  that  the  cramp  which  seized  him  compelled  him 
frequently  to  stand  erect  in  the  coach  and  to  ride  in  this 
position.  He  arrived  at  Wooster,  and  was  compelled  to 
retire  to  bed,  and,  in  spite  of  all  that  skill  and  devoted 
attention  could  do,  he  expired  on  the  26th  of  September. 
A  messenger  had  been  despatched  to  obtain  the  attend- 
ance of  the  nearest  clergyman,  but  he  arrived  too  late  to 
administer  to  the  expiring  Prelate  those  religious  rites 
and  consolations,  which  he  himself  had  traveled  many 
thousands  of  miles  often  in  his  life  to  administer  to 
others. 

"  Bishop  Fenwick,  by  his  talents  and  amiable  deport- 
ment, had  gained  himself  many  admirers  and  many  per- 
sonal friends.  As  a  herald  of  the  cross  he  was  always 
at  his  post,  faithful,  vigilant,  and  indefatigable.  In  the 
ordinary  walks  of  life  he  was  dignified,  affable,  and  un- 
ostentatious. In  retirement  he  was  given  to  prayer.  Of 
the  brilliant  success  which  crowned  his  efforts  to  diffuse 
the  blessings  of  religion  we  have  the  most  abundant 
evidences  in  what  has  been  already  stated.  He  was 
truly  the  apostle  of  Ohio ;  he  built  the  first  church  in 
that  part  of  the  country,  and  though  there  were  only 
two  priests  and  two  churches  in  the  immense  district 
afterwards  placed  under  his  episcopal  charge,  embracing 
Ohio,  Michigan,  and  the  North-West  Territory,  he  had 
the  consolation  of  witnessing,  at  his  death,  upwards  of 
twenty  churches  erected  to  the  honor  of  God — thirty 
priests  laboring  for  the  good  of  souls — houses  of  educa- 
tion, with  religious  and  charitable  institutions,  in  active 
operation,  and  other  unequivocal  signs  of  the  rich  bless- 
ing imparted  to  his  labors.  Well  could  he  say  with  the 
Apostle,  '  I  have  fought  the  good  fight ;  I  have  finished 
my  course  ;  I  have  k<>  pt  the  faith.  As  to  the  rest,  there 


.352  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  justice,  which  the  Lord,  the 
just  Judge,  will  render  to  me  in  that  day.' "  * 

One  of  the  secular  papers  at  Cincinnati  thus  noticed 
his  death  at  the  time: — "To  the  Church  here  his  death 
is  a  most  serious  calamity.  For  more  than  a  quarter  of 
a  century  he  has  been  an  indefatigable  missionary  in  the 
West,  living  as  he  died,  without  reproach.  However 
Christian  churches  may  regard  the  Catholic  Church, 
every  good  man  might  exclaim,  in  reference  to  his  death, 
'  Oh !  that  I  may  die  the  death  of  the  righteous,  and 
may  my  last  end  be  like  his."1 

*    Catholic  Almanac,  1848. 


RIGHT  REV.  JOSEPH  ROSATI,  D.D., 

First  Bishop  of  St.  Louis,  A.D.  1824.* 

BISHOP  ROSATI  was  eminent  in  the  Church  of  America 
for  his  learning  and  wisdom  in  council,  and  for  his  great 
labors  and  noble  achievements  in  the  missionary  field. 
Rome  proved  herself  the  "  Mother  of  Churches  "  when  she 
bestowed  from  among  her  own  clergy  such  an  apostle 
upon  the  young  Church  of  the  United  States.  It  is  to 
be  regretted  that  the  materials  are  so  scanty  for  the  bio- 
graphy of  one,  whose  example  would  prove  a  valuable 
legacy  to  the  future  ;  one  to  whom  tradition  has  given  the 
title  of  "  Model  Bishop." 

Joseph  Rosati  was  born  at  Sora,  in  the  kingdom  of 
Naples,  January  30,  1789.  His  family  and  connections 
were  highly  respectable,  and  were  imbued  with  firm 
faith  and  active  zeal.  Joseph,  from  his  tenderest  years, 
gave  proof  of  that  piety  and  virtue  which  distinguished 
his  whole  life.  At  an  early  age  he  entered  the  novitiate 
at  Rome  of  the  "  Congregation  of  the  Priests  of  the 
Mission  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,"  commonly  called 
Lazarists.  He  witnessed  during  his  entire  youth  the 
persecutions  which  religion  endured  during  that  dark 
period  of  history,  in  the  exile  or  imprisonment  of  Pon- 
tiffs, the  supression  of  religious  houses,  and  the  revolu- 
tion of  society  and  governments.  To  enter  the  ranks  of 
the  Church  in  such  times  required  no  ordinary  courage 


"  Authorities  :  Life  of  Rev.  Felix  De  Andreis  ;  Life  of  Bishop  Time*,  by  C.  G. 
Deuther,  Esq.  ;  Catholic  Almanac,  1847;  De  Courcy  and  Shea's  Catholic  Church 
In  the  United  States  ;  Catholic  Miscellany,  Magazines,  and  cotcmporancous  public* 
tions. 

23' 


354  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

and  self-sacrifice,  and  was  a  sure  sign  of  a  heavenly  voca- 
tion. The  house  of  Monte  Citorio  at  Rome  was  one 
of  the  few  establishments  of  the  mission  that  had  not 
been  suppressed,  and  here  young  Rosati  pursued  his 
sacred  studies.  Here  he  made  his  entire  course  of  dog- 
matic theology  under  the  celebrated  Father  De  Andreis, 
who  was  afterwards  his  Superior,  and  to  whom  he  suc- 
ceeded as  Superior  of  the  Lazarist  Mission  in  this  country. 
Not  a  word  fell  from  the  lips  of  the  learned  and  saintly 
teacher  that  was  not  caught  up  and  treasured  by  the  ex- 
emplary student ;  and  the  latter,  as  he  himself  says, 
"  hastened  to  put  them  in  writing,  for  fear  that  something 
might  escape  our  memory."  "  In  this  manner,"  he  con- 
tinues, "  we  filled  entire  sheets  with  useful  and  valu- 
able knowledge,  especially  during  those  lectures  which 
he  gave  on  the  Scriptures.  But  what  I  prized  even  more 
than  all  this  was,  that  while  he  enlightened  our  minds; 
he  inflamed  our  hearts,  his  words  being  as  so  many  fiery 
darts,  that  pierced  the  inmost  depths  of  the  soul ;  so 
that  when  we  left  the  school,  we  could  repeat  with  the 
two  disciples  who  accompanied  our  Saviour  to  Emmaus, 
'  Were  not  our  hearts  burning  within  us  as  he  was  speak- 
ing to  us  in  the  way  ! ' 

Mr.  Rosati  in  due  time  was  ordained  a  priest  of  the 
mission,  and  frequently  accompanied  Father  De  Andreis 
in  his  visits  of  charity  and  in  his  apostolic  labors.  In 
one  of  his  visits  to  the  prisons,  which  then  unfortunately 
had  more  inmates  than  either  church  or  cloister,  he  wit- 
nessed a  miracle,  wrought  in  the  cure  of  a  poor  sick 
man,  who  was  healed  of  his  disease  by  applying  to  his 
body,  at  the  suggestion  of  Father  De  Andreis,  a  piece  of 
the  cassock  of  the  Holy  Pontiff,  Pius  VII.,  then  a  captive  at 
Savona.  His  destination  for  the  mission  in  America  was 


Right  Rev.  Joseph  Rosati,  D.D.  355 

foreseen  and  foretold  to  him  by  his  friend  and  preceptor. 
While  walking  one  day  with  Father  De  Andreis,  the  latter 
inquired  of  him  what  he  was  then  particularly  engaged 
in  ?  He  answered  that  he  was  preparing  some  sermons, 
and  that  his  leisure  moments  he  employed  in  studying 
Hebrew.  His  prophetic  companion  and  superior  at  once 
requested  him  to  lay  aside  Hebrew,  and  study  English  ; 
for  he  would  one  day  need  the  use  of  that  tongue  in 
preaching  the  word  of  God  to  an  English-speaking  na- 
tion. The  youthful  Levite  was  astounded,  but  he  knew 
how  to  obey,  and,  without  further  inquiry,  he  substituted 
the  study  of  English  for  that  of  Hebrew.  By  his 
fervid  eloquence  and  untiring  zeal  he  became  noted  as  a 
conductor  of  retreats  and  missions.  So  thorough  was 
his  conventual  training,  that,  having  once  become  a  Lazar- 
ist,  he  adhered  to  the  rules  and  discipline  of  that  Order 
even  during  the  active  and  arduous  labors  of  his  epis- 
copate ;  regarding  them  as  safeguards  not  more  neces- 
sary or  appropriate  for  the  humble  religious  or  priest 
than  for  the  Bishop. 

The  time  was  now  at  hand  when  the  prophetic  words 
of  Father  De  Andreis  in  regard  to  himself  and  Father 
Rosati  were  about  to  be  verified.  That  same  Divine 
Providence  which  had  revealed  to  Father  De  Andreis 
his  destination  for  an  English  mission,  and  that  Father  Ro- 
sati would  be  his  companion,  in  1815  conducted  to  Rome 
the  steps  of  the  illustrious  Dr.  Dubourg,  then  Apostolic 
Administrator  of  the  Diocese  of  New  Orleans,  who  was 
in  search  of  co-laborers  for  his  vast  vineyard.  Father 
De  Andreis  was  selected  for  this  purpose  in  a  most 
singularly  providential  manner,  and  no  sooner  was  it  de- 
cided that  he  was  to  accompany  Dr.  Dubourg  to  Ameri- 
ca, than  he  wrote  to  Father  Rosati,  then  engaged  on  a 


356  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

mission  some  forty  miles  from  Rome,  and  asked  him  if 
he  had  any  wish  to  join  the  projected  mission,  without, 
however,  urging  him  to  do  so,  and  without  attempting 
to  influence  his  decision.  Father  Rosati  recognized  the 
call  as  coming  from  God,  and  immediately  volunteered 
to  go.  Several  other  members  of  the  same  Order  joined 
the  missionary  party.  Father  De  Andreis  left  Rome  for 
Bordeaux  December  15,  1815,  while  Father  Rosati,  in 
charge  of  the  missionaries,  went  by  sea  to  Toulouse, 
where  they  were  afterwards  joined  by  Father  De  Andreis, 
and  they  journeyed  together  from  this  place  to  Bordeaux, 
where  they  arrived  January  30,  1816.  They  were  joined 
here  by  Bishop  Dubourg,  May  22.  The  time  of  these 
holy  men  was  not  spent  in  idleness  while  waiting  for  his 
arrival,  but  in  generous  labors  for  the  salvation  of  souls. 
The  destination  of  these  gentlemen  was  at  first  for 
Louisiana  proper,  where  at  that  time  French  was  almost 
the  only  language  spoken.  Bishop  Dubourg,  however, 
changed  his  plans,  and  determined  to  send  them  to  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  then  a  part  of  Louisiana,  on  account 
of  the  greater  spiritual  necessities  of  that  territory  and 
its  greater  accessibility  to  the  Indians,  to  whom  he  de- 
sired to  have  the  gospel  preached.  Father  De  Andreis, 
in  announcing  this  change  to  his  companions,  joyfully 
added,  "  Now,  then,  let  us  take  courage,  gentlemen  ;  I 
see  that  the  English  language  will  indeed  be  indispen- 
sable to  us."  "  When  he  spoke  thus,"  wrote  Father  Ro- 
sati, "  I  recalled  to  mind  what  he  told  me  some  years 
before  in  Rome  :  that  the  English  .language  would  one 
day  be  necessary  for  us  both,  as  we  should  be  obliged 
to  preach  in  that  tongue,  and  that  it  was,  therefore,  more 
necessary  for  me  to  learn  it  than  Hebrew,  which  I  was 
then  studying." 


Right  Rev.  Joseph  Rosati,  D.D.  357 

The  company  embarked  on  board  an  American  brig, 
the  Ranger,  on  the  I2th  of  June.  Bishop  Dubourg  was 
obliged  to  remain  in  France  on  the  important  business 
of  his  diocese ;  he  addressed  to  them  on  taking  leave 
burning  words  of  exhortation  and  benediction,  and  em- 
braced each  one  of  them  most  affectionately  in  ^urn. 
He  appointed  Father  De  Andreis  Superior  of  the  mis- 
sion and  Vicar-General  of  his  diocese,  and,  in  case  of 
emergency,  he  gave  a  similar  appointment  to  Father 
Rosati.  The  voyage  was  tempestuous  and  protracted, 
lasting  forty-three  days,  and  Mr.  Rosati  was  sick  during 
the  whole  time.  The  long  and  tedious  days  at  sea 
were  well  spent,  for  the  little  craft  became  a  floating 
chapel,  from  which  ascended  to  heaven  the  constant  in- 
cense of  prayer  and  sacrifice.  The  Ranger,  with  her 
precious  inmates,  arrived  in  the  Chesapeake  Bay  July  23, 
and  on  the  26th  landed  them  safely  at  Baltimore.  "  The 
good  Sulpicians,"  wrote  the  superior  of  the  company, 
"  received  us  as  so  many  angels."  After  a  month's  rest, 
they  made  the  journey  westward  in  stages,  and  on  their 
arrival  at  Louisville,  were  induced  by  Bishop  Flaget  to 
accept  his  hospitality  at  St.  Joseph's,  near  Bardstown, 
where  they  arrived  November  22,  and  remained  about 
ten  months,  studiously  engaged  in  studying  English 
under  Bishop  David,  in  acquiring  useful  information  of 
the  country  and  of  their  future  duties,  and  in  the  per- 
formance of  zealous  and  arduous  missionary  duties. 
Father  Rosati  was  soon  able  to  hear  confessions  and 
preach  in  English,  and  at  Easter  following  went  on 
a  missionary  excursion  to  the  poor  Catholics  of  Vin- 
cennes,  who  then  saw  a  priest  only  once  or  twice  in 
a  year.  On  the  ist  of  October,  1817,  Bishop  Flaget. 
Fathers  De  Andreis  and  Rosati,  with  a  lay  brother  and  a 


358  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

guide,  set  out  on  the  trip  from  Bardstown  to  St.  Louis, 
a  distance  of  over  three  hundred  miles,  on  horseback ; 
which  they  accomplished  only  after  encountering  great 
hardships  from  hunger,  floods,  and  fatigue.  They  ar- 
rived at  St.  Louis  October  17,  proceeded  to  the  episco- 
pal residence,  which  was  in  a  dilapidated  condition,  and 
in  which  the  only  bed  was  assigned  to  the  venerable 
Bishop,  while  Fathers  De  Andreis  and  Rosati  slept  upon 
buffalo-robes  on  the  floor. 

After  mature  consideration  of  the  respective  advanta- 
ges of  locating*  the  establishment  of  the  Lazarists  at  St. 
Louis,  St.  Genevieve,  and  St.  Mary's  of  the  Barrens, 
the  last  place  was  selected ;  it  was  located  about  eighty 
miles  from  St.  Louis.  Father  Rosati  returned  with 
Bishop  Flaget  to  Bardstown,  to  see  to  the  missionaries 
belonging  to  the  colony  whom  Father  De  Andreis  left 
there.  It  was  not  long,  however,  before  he  returned 
and  assumed  the  office  of  Superior  of  the  house  and 
Seminary  at  the  Barrens,  an  institution  which,  under  his 
wise  and  zealous  care,  became  the  Alma  Mater  of 
many  of  the  best  educated  Catholic  youth  of  the  South- 
west and  the  fruitful  mother  of  priests  and  Bishops. 
His  aptitude  for  languages  soon  enabled  him  to  master 
the  English  language,  and  his  robust  health  enabled  him 
to  endure  with  comparative  ease  the  immense  labors, 
fatigues,  and  hardships  of  the  mission.  The  first  Laza- 
rist  house  was  a  log  cabin,  or  rather  several  log  cabins, 
in  the  largest  of  which,  a  one-story  structure,  was  the 
University.  It  contained  four  rooms,  one  of  which  was 
the  theological  department,  in  another  was  conducted 
the  department  of  philosophy  and  general  literature,  and 
the  other  two  were  used,  one  for  a  tailor's  and  the 
other  for  a  shoemaker's  shop.  Another  cabin  was  the 


Right  Rev.  Joseph  Rosati,    D.D.  359 

refectory,  but  such  were  its  discomforts  that  the  stu- 
dents would  not  unfrequently  prefer  to  go  to  bed  with- 
out supper,  than  encounter  the  mud  and  water  which 
awaited  the  adventure  of  crossing  over  to  the  refectory. 
A  third  structure  was  commenced,  but  it  remained  un- 
finished till  1834;  it  is  now  standing,  and  serves  as  an 
outhouse  for  servants.  A  mattress  on  the  floor  was  the 
best  bed  usually  afforded  for  inmates  or  visitors,  who 
on  awakening  in  the  morning  would  frequently  find  a 
fall  of  snow  added  to  their  bed-covering.  It  required  a 
mind  and  frame  like  Father  Rosati's  to  lead  such  an  insti- 
tution through  such  poverty  and  hardship  to  its  subse- 
quent prosperity  and  glory,  and  it  was  well  said  of  him 
that  he  "  rendered,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  so 
much  assistance  to  the  work,  that  he  deserved  to  be 
chosen  its  first  head,  director,  and  superior."  And 
again,  "  such  were  the  piety  and  resignation  of  the  in- 
mates of  the  Seminary,  under  the  pious  government  of 
Mons.  Rosati,  that  all  seemed  to  feel  happy  and  advance 
in  the  way  of  salvation,  "f 

In  1823  he  commenced  receiving  boys  as  students,  or 
collegians,  at  the  Barrens.  In  addition  to  the  duties  de- 
volved upon  him  as  Superior  and  Professor  of  Logic  and 
Theology,  Father  Rosati  was  an  indefatigable  missionary. 
He  soon  undertook  the  erection  of  a  church  connected 
with  the  house,  and  priest,  seminarian,  men,  women,  and 
children  aided  in  its  construction.  He  had  the  happi- 
ness, in  1820,  of  blessing  the  church  and  of  performing 
divine  service  in  it.  When  the  saintly  Father  De  An- 
dreis  died,  in  1820,  the  last  act  of  his  life  was  to  appoint 
Father  Posati  his  successor  as  Superior  of  the  Lazarists 

•  Life  of  Father  De  Andreis. 

f  Deuthcr's  Life  of  Bishop  Timon. 


360  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

in  the  United  States.  The  devotion  which  these  two 
apostolic  men  bore  for  each  other  was  such  as  only  re- 
ligion and  union  in  the  service  of  God  and  the  salvation 
of  souls  can  inspire.  The  latter  was  so  moved  by  the 
death  of  his  good  friend,  the  master  of  his  studies,  the 
exemplar  of  his  life,  his  ever-faithful  guide  and  counsel- 
lor, that  his  effort  to  perform  the  last  rites  of  religion 
over  his  remains  was  greatly  interrupted  by  his  sobs  and 
tears.  He  performed,  for  his  departed  brother,  every 
boon  which  religion  furnishes  in  such  cases ;  deposited 
his  remains  in  a  vault  under  the  Church  at  the  Barrens, 
where  they  remained  until  the  completion  of  the  new 
church,  when  Dr.  Rosati,  as  a  Prelate  of  the  Church, 
caused  them  to  be  removed  to  a  new  stone  sepulchre 
prepared  by  his  orders  under  the  new  sanctuary. 
Throughout  his  life  his  voice  ever  became  eloquent, 
his  pen  inspired,  when  he  related  the  virtues  and 
recounted  the  miraculous  occurrences  attributed  to  Fa- 
ther De  Andreis. 

Now,  with  even  greater  energy  and  ardor  than  ever, 
Father  Rosati  entered  upon  his  more  extended  and  en- 
larged duties.  The  hopes  of  the  Church  in  that  region 
were  chiefly  centred  in  him.  It  was  then  that  Bishop 
Dubourg,  himself  the  untiring  and  devoted  patriarch  of 
religion  in  the  South-west,  exclaimed  with  justice :  "  If 
Mr.  Rosati  fail  us,  all  will  go  to  ruin."  His  labors  and 
their  results,  in  the  spread  and  permanent  establishment 
of  religion  throughout  the  South-west,  filled  all  who  wit- 
nessed them  with  wonder,  especially  when  they  consid- 
ered the  small  means  at  his  command.  When  he  ar- 
rived in  St.  Louis,  in  1816,  in  all  of  Upper  Louisiana, 
embracing  the  States  of  Missouri,  Arkansas,  Illinois,  and 
the  adjacent  Territories,  there  were  only  seven  small 


Right  Rev.  Joseph  Rosati,  D.D.  361 

wooden  churches,  four  priests,  and  about  seven  or  eight 
thousand  Catholics.  The  country  was  destitute  of  reli- 
gious houses,  colleges,  and  schools,  and  the  whole  popu 
lation  of  St.  Louis  was  scarcely  four  thousand.*  In 
January,  1822,  he  wrote  to  the  Abbe  Brute  from  St. 
Mary's  Seminary  at  the  Barrens : — "  On  our  arrival  at 
Baltimore  from  Europe,  we  were  only  four  of  our  congre- 
gation, three  priests  and  a  brother.  We  are  now  nine- 
teen— ten  priests,  three  clerics,  and  six  brothers.  Our 
gentlemen  in  Italy  take  a  great  interest  in  us  and  send 
us  some  subjects,  and  others  have  joined  us  in  America."  f 
Besides  his  duties  at  the  Seminary  of  the  Barrens,  and 
his  employments  as  Superior  of  the  Lazarists,  he  per- 
formed constant  missionary  labors.  Missionary  duties 
in  those  days  were  very  different  from  those  of  our  time. 
The  missionary  had  to  travel  entirely  on  horseback  or  on 
foot,  both  in  the  scorching  suns  of  midsummer  and 
through  the  storms  and  snows  of  winter ;  he  had  fre- 
quently to  travel  thirty  or  forty  miles  to  see  a  single  per- 
son ;  his  fare  was  poor,  his  bed  was  hard,  his  chapel  was 
a  log  cabin,  through  the  crevices  of  whose  roof  he  was 
frequently  pelted  by  the  rain  or  snow  while  celebrating 
Mass  or  preaching.  He  frequently  had  to  say  Mass  and 
preach  at  two  distant  points  on  the  same  Sunday,  thus 
having  to  travel  and  labor  till  the  afternoon  without  food. 
His  flocks  were  so  scattered  that  he  had  to  hunt  them 
up  and  organize  them  into  congregations,  and  he  had  to 
provide  everything  for  them,  carrying  the  altar  furniture 
about  with  him,  frequently  from  one  log  chapel  to  an- 
other. 

In   1822,  Bishop  Dubourg,  solicitous  for  the  religious 

*  Life  of  Father  De  Andreis. 

\  De  Courcy  and  Shea's  History  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  the  Utiiltd  Statet. 


362  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

interests  of  the  Floridas,  proposed  to  detach  them  from 
the  diocese  of  New  Orleans,  as  a  Vicariate  Apostolic, 
and  that  Mr.  Rosati  should  be  appointed  Vicar  Apostolic 
thereof.  His  humility,  however,  would  not  allow  him  to 
accept  the  appointment,  more  especially  as  he  found  his 
services  so  much  needed  in  Upper  Louisiana.  Subse- 
quently Bishop  Dubourg  urged  the  Holy  See  to  elevate 
Mr.  Rosati  to  the  dignity  and  office  of  Bishop  and  to 
make  him  his  own  coadjutor.  Knowing  his  reluctance 
to  accept  the  episcopal  rank,  Bishop  Dubourg  requested 
that  the  bull  should  be  accompanied  by  a  precept  of 
obedience  requiring  his  submission.  Pope  Leo  XII. 
complied  with  these  requests,  so  that,  in  1823,  Mr. 
Rosati  received  an  apostolic  brief,  appointing  him  coad- 
jutor to  New  Orleans,  and  commanding  him  to  accept. 
Another  brief,  at  the  same  time,  decreed  that  after  the 
lapse  of  three  years  the  diocese  of  New  Orleans  should 
be  divided  into  two  dioceses,  the  Sees  of  which  should 
be  located  at  New  Orleans  and  St.  Louis ;  that  Bishop 
Dubourg  should  choose  which  of  these  he  preferred  to 
govern,  and  that  Bishop  Rosati  should  be  appointed  to 
the  other  ;  and  should  Bishop  Dubourg  die  before  the 
expiration  of  the  three  years,  Bishop  Rosati  should  suc- 
ceed him  as  Bishop  of  New  Orleans.  Bishop  Rosati 
was  consecrated  Bishop  of  Tenegra  in  partibiis,  by 
Bishop  Dubourg,  at  New  Orleans,  March  25,  1824.  He 
continued  to  reside  at  St.  Louis.  On  the  resignation  of 
Bishop  Dubourg,  before  the  expiration  of  the  three 
years,  Bishop  Rosati  became  charged  with  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  diocese  of  New  Orleans,  where  he  fixed 
his  residence  until,  in  1827,  Pope  Leo  XII.  appointed 
him  first  Bishop  of  St.  Louis.  He  then  removed  his 
residence  to  St.  Louis,  but  continued  to  be  Administrator 


Right  Rev.  Joseph  Rosati,  D.D.  363 

of  the  diocese  of  New  Orleans  until  the  appointment  of 
Bishop  De  Neckene  to  that  See.  He  also  continued  to 
be  Superior  of  the  Congregation  of  the  Lazarists  until 
the  arrival  of  Mr.  J.  B.  Tornatore,  in  1830.  In  these 
varied  and  responsible  positions  the  time  and  labors  of 
Bishop  Rosati  were  divided  between  New  Orleans,  St. 
Louis,  and  the  Barrens,  and  while  the  duties  of  any  one 
of  these  offices  would  have  been  sufficient  for  the  shoul- 
ders of  any  one  man,  he  seemed  to  discharge  them  all 
with  ease,  and  certainly  with  success  and  efficiency.  He 
loved  the  peaceful  retreat  of  the  Barrens,  and  even  de- 
sired to  make  it  his  residence  and  govern  his  diocese 
therefrom ;  but  he  sacrificed  his  preference  and  made 
St.  Louis  his  residence.  It  is  said  that  he  ever  governed 
his  time  and  labors  according  to  the  rules  and  discipline 
of  his  dear  Seminary,  as  far  as  it  was  possible  in  his  new 
position. 

When  the  great  extent  of  his  diocese  is  considered,  it 
is  difficult  for  us  to  understand  how  Bishop  Rosati  ac- 
complished so  much.  Embracing,  as  it  did,  the  States 
of  Missouri,  Arkansas,  and  two-thirds  of  Illinois,  and  the 
Territories  stretching  northward  beyond  the  sources  of 
the  Mississippi,  and  westward  beyond  the  sources  of  the 
Missouri,  there  was  no  part  of  it  which  did  not  feel  the 
vivifying  and  creative  power  of  his  great  mind  and  heart. 
With  the  exception  of  fifteen  or  twenty  small  towns  or 
villages  inhabited  by  French  and  Spanish  settlers,  this 
vast  region  was  a  wilderness,  the  hunting-grounds  and 
war-paths  of  the  savage  Indians,  and  the  undisputed 
domain  of  wild  beasts.  The  inhabitants  of  French  and 
Spanish  descent  had  almost  lost  the  faith  for  want  of 
priest  and  altar,  and  the  teachings  of  the  early  Catholic 
missionaries,  after  so  long  and  lamentable  an  interrup- 


364  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

tion,  scarcely  lingered  amongst  the  Indians  in  the  forms 
of  dim  traditions,  that  were  yielding  constantly  to  former 
superstitions  and  atrocities.  But  all  these  were  equally 
the  spiritual  children  of  Bishop  Rosati,  who  left  no  re- 
source untried  to  gain  or  save  them  to  the  Church. 
One  of  his  greatest  labors  was  the  successful  administra- 
tion and  powerful  assistance  in  the  permanent  establish- 
ment of  the  Congregation  of  the  Mission,  whose  priests 
he  sent  forth  as  messengers  of  peace,  repentance,  purity, 
and  regeneration  into  this  vast  field.  e  Many  of  the  most 
illustrious  missionaries  of  this  country,  such  men  as 
Archbishop  Odin  and  Bishop  Timon,  were  his  disciples. 
To  the  honor  of  ihis  great  and  good  Bishop  it  may  be. 
said,  that  he  always  led  the  way  and  inspired  others  by 
his  untiring  zeal  and  labors.  He  encouraged  the  reli- 
gious orders  of  the  Church  to  enter  this  great  field. 
The  Jesuits,  though  first  established  at  Florissant 
by  Bishop  Dubourg,  found  in  Bishop  Rosati  their 
great  friend.  Under  his  patronage  they  established  a 
novitiate  of  the  Order  at  Florissant,  formed  a  separate 
province  for  the  West,  and  in  1829  the  College,  now 
University  of  St.  Louis  was  confided  to  their  care.  The 
Ladies  of  the  Sacred  Heart  were  greatly  encouraged  by 
his  fostering  hand,  and  in  1827  their  Monastery  at  St. 
Louis  was  founded  by  Mr.  John  Mullanphy,  who  gave 
to  these  ladies  a  large  brick  building,  with  twenty-five 
acres  of  land,  within  the  limits  of  the  city.  The  object 
of  this  generous  donation  was  to  enable  them  to  educate 
a  certain  number  of  poor  orphan  girls,  who  were  also 
maintained  by  the  institution.  In  1836  he  introduced 
from  Lyons,  France,  the  first  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph  in 
America,  whom  he  established  in  the  ancient  French 
parish  of  Cahokia.  The  Sisters  of  the  Visitation,  those 


Right  Rev.  Joseph  Rosati,  D.D.  365 

admirable  instructors  of  young  ladies,  were  also  intro- 
duced into  his  diocese  by  him,  as  were  also  the  Sisters 
of  Charity  from  Emmitsburg,  those  angels  of  '•elief,  sym- 
pathy, and  mercy.  He  took  a  profound  interest  in  the 
Order  of  Sisters  of  Charity  in  the  United  States,  and 
made  great  efforts  to  secure  from  the  authorities  of  the 
Order  in  France  the  union  of  the  Sisters  in  America 
with  the  Mother  House  abroad,  an  object  said  to  have 
been  earnestly  desired  by  Mother  Seton  herself  in  her 
lifetime.  Many  of  these  institutions  have  since  his  day 
expanded  into  vast  proportions,  multiplying  houses  of 
instruction  and  relief  in  his  own  and  many  other  dioceses. 
He  was  the  founder  and  generous  benefactor  of  numer- 
ous charitable  establishments,  amongst  which  may  be 
mentioned  orphan  asylums,  a  school  for  deaf  and  dumb 
female  children,  and  the  St.  Louis  Hospital  under  the 
care  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity.  This  last  institution,  as 
early  as  1840,  received  as  many  as  twelve  hundred  pa- 
tients. The  original  house  and  lot  of  this  hospital  were 
also  the  gift  of  Mr.  Mullanphy.  The  City  of  St.  Louis 
and  the  Government  of  the  United  States  adopted  it  as 
the  place  to  which  they  sent  their  respective  patients. 
It  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  institution  of  the  kind 
commenced  in  the  United  States ;  the  Sisters  were  so 
poor  that  Bishop  Rosati  generously  gave  them  his  own 
watch,  which  was  the  only  timepiece  they  possessed  for 
many  years. 

In  1826,  when  Bishop  Rosati  had  the  happiness  of 
consecrating  Bishop  Portier,  of  Mobile,  at  St.  Louis,  he 
was  assisted  by  no  less  than  thirteen  priests,  one  sub- 
deacon,  and  thirteen  ecclesiastics  in  minor  orders,  all  of 
the  diocese  of  St.  Louis :  a  goodly  increase  for  so  short 
a  period.  He  loved  his  clergy  with  a  father's  affection, 


366  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

and  evidenced  great  joy  when,  as  on  this  occasion,  he 
stood  in  the  midst  of  them,  either  to  praise  and  extol  the 
mercies  and  gifts  of  God,  or  to  lay  broader  the  founda- 
tions of  the  Church,  or  to  lead  by  his  example  or  precept 
the  way  to  heaven.  An  evidence  of  his  warmth  of  heart 
and  religious  veneration  was  given  on  the  occasion  of 
his  visit,  in  1827,  to  Bishop  Flaget,  whose  guest  he  had 
been  ten  years  before  on  his  journey  westward.  It  is 
related  that  so  impressed  was  Bishop  Rosati  with  the 
sanctity,  simplicity,  and  worth  of  Bishop  Flaget,  that,  on 
taking  leave  of  him,  he  fell  upon  his  knees  and  would 
not  rise  without  his  blessing.  Bishop  Flaget,  on  his  part, 
was  overcome  by  the  humility  and  virtue  of  his  younger 
colleague,  and,  falling  upon  his  knees,  he  in  turn  begged 
the  blessing  of  Bishop  Rosati,  "  and  the  scene  closed 
with  a  mutual  benediction  imparted  to  each  other,  and  a 
parting  embrace."  * 

On  the  28th  of  October,  1834,  Bishop  Rosati  enjoyed 
the  consolation  of  consecrating  the  fine  Cathedral  of  St. 
Louis,  a  work  which  had  been  to  him  the  object  of  great 
solicitude  and  determined  effort  for  several  years.  When 
he  commenced  the  work,  the  people  were  astonished  at 
his  courage,  not  to  say  rashness,  considering  his  small 
means  ;  but  when  they  witnessed  its  progress  and  com- 
pletion, they  were  unable  to  understand  how  the  Bishop 
could  accomplish  such  wonders.  The  cost  of  the  edifice 
was  sixty  thousand  dollars ;  it  was  greatly  admired  for 
its  beauty,  elegance,  and  ample  proportions.  Five 
bishops,  twenty-eight  priests,  twelve  of  whom  were  from 
different  nations,  and  a  long  line  of  young  ecclesiastics 
assisted  at  the  ceremony.  The  Pontifical  High  Mass 
was  sung  by  the  Bishop  himself,  and  an  eye-witness  has 

*  Archbishop  Spalding'  s  Life  of  Bishop  Flaget. 


Right  Rev.  Joseph  Rosati,  D.D.  367 

said :  "  More  than  once  did  his  mellow,  religious,  and 
paternal  voice  betray,  in  spite  of  him,  the  feeling-  of  ado- 
ration, of  gratitude,  of  love  of  God,  and  zeal  for  the 
salvation  of  the  souls  of  his  people,  with  which  his  heart 
was  overpowered."  Besides  this  splendid  monument  of 
his  devotion,  he  erected  numerous  fine  churches  through- 
out his  diocese  in  place  of  the  log  chapels  he  found  on 
his  arrival. 

In  council  Bishop  Rosati  was  eminently  wise,  prudent, 
and  suggestive.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  first 
four  Provincial  Councils  of  Baltimore,  and  his  gifted  pen 
wrote  many  of  their  most  important,  learned,  and  elo- 
quent documents.  In  this  respect  he  seems  to  have 
filled  a  position  in  those  august  assemblies  afterwards 
so  ably  supplied  by  Archbishop  Kenrick,  of  Baltimore. 
The  warm,  generous,  and  classic  letter,  addressed  by  the 
Fathers  of  the  Fourth  Council  of  Baltimore  to  those  two 
noble  confessors  of  the  faith,  to  the  Right  Rev.  Claude 
Augustus  de  Droste  de  Vischering,  Bishop  of  Cologne, 
and  to  the  Most  Rev.  Martin  de  Dunnin,  Archbishop  of 
Posen,  was  the  production  of  his  pen.  His  own  pas- 
toral letters,  addressed  to  his  diocese,  are  among  the 
finest  productions  of  the  kind,  and  are  such  as  only  an 
apostle  of  the  true  faith  could  produce.  His  sermons 
were  not  only  eloquent,  but  efficacious,  producing  a  pro- 
found impression  on  the  minds  and  hearts  of  his  hearers, 
whatever  might  be  their  religious  belief.  An  extract  from 
a  memoir  prepared  by  himself  affords  ample  proof  of  the 
abundant  fruits  produced  by  his  missionary  labors  in  the 
City  of  St.  Louis  alone  in  one  year:  "In  the  course 
of  the  year  1839  two  hundred  and  eighty-nine  Protestants 
embraced  the  Catholic  religion  at  St.  Louis,  and  during 
the  following  years  the  number  must  have  been  still 


368  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

more  considerable.  The  baptisms  during  the  same  year 
amounted  to  one  thousand  five  hundred  and  forty-eight; 
the  confirmations,  six  hundred  and  eighty-four;  first 
communions,  about  ten  thousand."  As  a  pulpit  orator, 
he  was  accomplished  in  two  languages  besides  his  own 
Italian — that  is  to  say,  in  English  and  French — and  he 
frequently  addressed  congregations  in  each  of  these 
tongues  on  the  same  occasion.  His  visitations  through 
his  extended  diocese  were  most  laborious  and  efficacious. 
He  performed  in  them  not  only  the  functions  appertain- 
ing to  the  episcopal  office,  but  the  most  onerous  and 
varied  duties  of  the  priesthood.  The  intervals  between 
his  public  engagements  he  employed  in  offices  of  charity. 
His  advent  was  hailed  everywhere,  and  by  all  denomi- 
nations, as  that  of  a  messenger  from  heaven.  It  was 
no  uncommon  thing  for  him  to  enter  villages  in  the  re- 
mote parts  of  Missouri  amidst  the  ringing  of  bells,  and 
on  more  than  one  occasion  he  was  met  at  some  distance 
from  the  town  by  the  pastor  and  people,  among  whom 
were  many  Protestants;  was  escorted  with  every  de- 
monstration of  joy  and  reverence  over  a  road  strewed 
with  branches  of  trees  and  evergreens,  while  the  first 
citizens  of  the  place  held  a  canopy  over  his  head.  His 
reputation  was  not  confined  to  any  part  of  the  country, 
for  when  he  visited  Boston  in  November,  1829,  after  the 
Council  which  he  had  attended  at  Baltimore,  he  was  re- 
ceived and  treated  with  extraordinary  honor,  recognized 
by  all  as  due  to  one  whose  good  deeds  were  so  remark- 
able. He  accompanied  Bishop  Fenwick  to  Boston  on 
the  invitation  of  the  latter,  Rev.  Messrs.  Blanc  and  Jean 
jean  joining  the  company.  He  celebrated  Mass  in  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Cross  on  Sunday,  November  16, 
on  which  occasion  the  clergyman  who  read  the  Pastoral 


Right  Rev.  Joseph  Rosati,  D.D.  369 

Letter  of  the  Council  alluded  to  him  in  terms  the  most 
respectful  and  eulogistic.  "  He  remarked  that  this,  to 
the  Catholics  of  Boston,  ought  to  be  a  day  of  religious 
exultation ;  that  in  the  Right  Rev.  celebrant  they  beheld 
a  former  professor  of  theology  in  the  celebrated  Propa- 
ganda at  Rome,  who  had  not  only  imbibed  the  pure 
classic,  but,  what  was  infinitely  superior,  the  Catholic  fra- 
grance of  the  Eternal  City."  Dr.  Rosati  was  delighted 
at  the  spread  of  Catholicity  in  New  England,  and  his 
Catholic  heart  was  pleased  at  witnessing  the  crowds  that 
approached  communion  at  the  seven  Masses  offered  that 
day  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Cross.  After  a  brief 
stay  in  Boston,  he  visited  the  Canadas,  where  he  expe- 
rienced the  consolation  of  beholding  religious  scenes, 
such  as  he  had  often  witnessed  in  Italy  and  France.  On 
his  return  to  the  Seminary  at  the  Barrens,  December  27, 
he  found  six  Mexicans  awaiting  at  his  hands  the  reception 
of  holy  orders,  which  the  unfortunate  state  of  their  own 
country  did  not  afford  them  the  means  of  obtaining  there. 
He  proceeded  at  once  to  bestow  upon  these  gentlemen, 
who  were  highly  commended  for  their  edifying  conduct, 
their  lively  and  sound  faith,  and  ecclesiastical  bearing,  on 
three  successive  days,  the  minor  orders  of  Sub-deacon- 
ship  and  Deaconship,  and  the  Holy  Order  of  the  Priest- 
hood. Five  of  them  belonged  to  the  diocese  of  Valla- 
dolid,  and  the  sixth  was  a  Trinitarian  Friar  of  the  Order 
of  Mercy,  from  the  diocese  of  Guadalaxara.  There  was 
also  awaiting  his  return  a  Catholic  gentleman,  Francisco 
Torres,  who  had  travelled  from  the  Pacific  coast  to  re- 
ceive at  the  Bishop's  hands  the  Sacrament  of  Con- 
firmation. 

On  April  25,  1840,  Bishop  Rosati  left  St.   Louis  for 
Baltimore  to  attend  the  Fourth  Provincial  Council ;  but 
24 


370  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

before  leaving  his  diocese,  he  made  arrangements  for 
his  absence  during  a  visit  he  had  arranged  to  make  to 
Rome,  after  the  adjournment  of 'the  Council.  He  was 
received  in  Rome  with  great  consideration,  not  only  by 
Pope  Gregory  XVI.,  who  had  a  high  regard  for  him, 
but  also  by  the  other  ecclesiastical  dignitaries  of  the 
Eternal  City.  The  Holy  Father  gave  him  two  places  in 
the  Propaganda  for  young  ecclesiastical  students  des- 
tined for  the  Mission  of  Missouri.  He  was  appointed 
Apostolic  Delegate,  for  the  purpose  of  seemg  if  measures 
could  be  agreed  upon  for  the  re-establishment  of  the 
ecclesiastical  hierarchy,  and  for  settling  the  ecclesiastical 
affairs  between  the  Holy  See  and  the  Republic  of  Hayti. 
Before  repairing  to  the  island  of  Hayti  on  this  delicate 
and  important  mission,  he  embarked  for  the  United 
States,  October  30,  arriving  at  Boston  November  18, 
1841.  In  the  midst  of  these  general  services  to  the 
Church  he  had  not  forgotten  the  interests  of  the  diocese 
of  St.  Louis,  which  was  so  dear  to  him.  Before  leaving 
St.  Louis  for  the  Provincial  Council,  in  1840,  he  had 
obtained  from  Rome  the  appointment  of  Rev.  John 
Timon,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Buffalo,  as  his  coadjutor. 
But  that  gentleman  returned  the  bulls  to  Rome,  pre- 
ferring to  continue  in  his  duties  as  Visitor  of  the  Congre- 
gation of  the  Mission.  He  next  secured  the  appointment 
of  the  Rev.  Peter  Richard  Kenrick,  now  Archbishop  of 
St.  Louis,  as  his  coadjutor,  whom  he  consecrated  at 
Philadelphia,  November  30.  He  announced  this  event 
to  his  flock  from  Philadelphia,  in  a  letter  teeming  with 
sentiments  of  paternal  solicitude  and  devotion.  He  then 
returned  to  New  York,  and  embarked  from  that  port  for 
Port-au-Prince,  January  15,  1842,  accompanied  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Cessans,  his  secretary.  After  a  favorable  passage 


Right  Rev.  Joseph  Rosati,  D.D.  371 

of  fourteen  days,  he  landed  in  excellent  health  at  Port- 
au-Prince,  January  29,  and  was  received  most  joyfully 
by  the  clergy  and  people,  and  with  that  reverence  which 
his  own  personal  dignity  and  his  sacred  office  inspired. 
When  the  object  of  his  mission  was  made  known  to  the 
people,  their  delight  was  without  bounds.  He  was  re- 
ceived by  President  Boyer,  in  an  audience  held  January 
31,  with  that  respect  which  was  due  to  his  ecclesiastical 
and  diplomatic  character.  His  documents  were  deliv- 
ered, himself  recognized  as  Apostolic  Delegate,  and  the 
President,  on  reading  the  letter  of  His  Holiness,  remarked 
that  the  constant  anxiety  of  the  Holy  Father  about  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  his  children  at  Hayti  imposed  upon 
him  (the  President)  the  task  of  seconding,  with  all  possi- 
ble zeal,  the  views  of  the  Sovereign  Pontiff.  He  added 
that  he  would  appoint  a  commissioner  for  the  purpose  of 
arranging  affairs  with  the  Prelate.  It  was  also  observed 
by  the  President  that  religion,  in  his  opinion,  was  the 
most  solid  foundation  of  the  prosperity  of  all  States ; 
that  the  people  of  Hayti  were  essentially  Catholic,  were 
attached  to  their  religion,  and  convinced  of  its  necessity. 
As  a  proof  of  this  statement,  he  referred  to  the  failure 
of  the  Protestant  mission  in  that  country,  remarking,  at 
the  same  time,  that  the  Protestant  place  of  worship  was 
frequented  only  by  foreigners  who  were  not  Catholics. 
The  President  promised  his  efficient  co-operation  in 
establishing  religion  on  a  firm  basis  in  the  republic,  in 
proof  of  which  he  expressed  great  joy  at  learning  of  the 
existence  of  the  society  of  colored  Sisters  at  Baltimore, 
and  directed  his  Secretary  of  State  to  write  to  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Joubert,  their  Superior,  for  the  purpose  of  securing 
their  services  in  Hayti.  A  committee  of  five  was  named, 
who,  after  three  conferences  with  Dr.  Rosati,  agreed 


372  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

upon  a  Concordat,  which  the  Prelate  was  requested  to 
present  to  His  Holiness.  The  President  also  agreed  to 
appoint  an  envoy  to  meet  Bishop  Rosati  at  Rome,  for 
the  purpose  of  concluding  and  signing  the  treaty  with 
the  Holy  See.  This  arrangement,  which  had  so  long 
been  desired,  awakened  the  greatest  joy  among  the 
people.  The  church  in  which  Bishop  Rosati  officiated 
at  Port-au-Prince  was  crowded  daily  at  his  Mass,  and 
the  strongest  indications  were  given  of  the  religious  dis- 
positions of  the  people. 

A  few  days  after  the  negotiations  were  concluded,  the 
President  gave  a  state-dinner  in  honor  of  Bishop  Rosati, 
which  was  attended  by  one  hundred  and  thirty  dis- 
tinguished guests,  amongst  whom  were  the  French  and 
English  Consuls,  and  the  principal  civil  and  military  offi- 
''ers  of  the  Republic.  After  dinner,  the  following  toast 
was  proposed  by  the  President :  "  His  Holiness  Pope 
Gregory  XVI. ;  may  God  grant  him  yet  many  years  to 
live  for  the  prosperity  of  his  Church  and  the  happiness  of 
the  Christian  world."  The  toast  found  an  echo  in  every 
breast.  In  return  Dr.  Rosati  gave  as  his  toast :  "  The 
President  of  Hayti,  and  prosperity  to  that  Republic." 
Bishop  Rosati  was  also  treated  with  great  respect  and 
hospitality  by  the  principal  citizens,  and  particularly  by 
Mr.  Levasseur,  the  French  Consul.  On  February  17  he 
consecrated  some  oil  in  the  parish  church,  that  article 
having  become  scarce  in  the  island,  and  bestowed  the 
Sacrament  of  Confirmation  on  four  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  adults,  who  received  the  sacrament  with  every  evi- 
dence of  piety  and  joy. 

Having  succeeded  in  his  negotiations  with  President 
Boyer,  he  embarked  on  board  a  French  corvette,  Feb- 
ruary 22,  and  arrived  at  Brest  on  Easter  day.  He  re- 


Right  Rev.  Joseph  Rosati,  D.D.  373 

turned  to  Rome,  and  laid  before  His  Holiness  tie  results 
of  his  important  and  interesting  mission,  and  spent  the 
remainder  of  the  year  in  that  city.  Besides  other  tokens 
of  the  Holy  Father's  appreciation  of  his  services  to  re- 
ligion, he  bestowed  upon  the  Bishop  the  appointment  as 
one  of  the  Assistant  Prelates  of  the  Pontifical  throne. 

The  health  of  Bishop  Rosati,  however,  had  become 
impaired  by  exposure  during  his  travels  in  the  discharge 
of  his  important  duties,  and  he  was  attacked  at  Rome  by 
a  violent  affection  of  the  lungs.  In  the  beginning  of  the 
following  year  his  health  appeared  to  be  in  a  great 
measure  restored.  He  was  now  despatched  a  second 
time  to  Hayti,  in  order  that  he  might  consummate  what 
he  had  so  auspiciously  commenced.  He  left  Rome  for 
Paris,  having  in  view  his  return  by  way  of  the  United 
States,  in  order  that  he  might  attend  the  Fifth  Provincial 
Council  at  Baltimore.  At  Paris,  however,  his  disease 
returned,  and  he  was  detained  there  until  the  middle  of 
August,  when,  on  the  advice  of  his  physician,  and  in  the 
hope  that  the  more  genial  air  of  his  native  country  might 
relieve  his  sufferings,  and,  perhaps,  restore  his  health,  he 
returned  to  Rome.  But  it  was  too  late :  Rome  saw  the 
commencement  of  his  useful  and  saintly  career,  and  now 
Rome  was  to  witness  its  untimely  termination.  He  ex- 
pired September  25,  1843,  honored  and  esteemed  in  two 
hemispheres,  and  lamented  by  the  whole  Church.  The 
Holy  Father,  who  valued  him  in  a  high  degree,  and 
honored  him  with  his  friendship,  was  starting  to  visit 
him  in  his  illness  when  the  sad  intelligence  of  his  death 
arrived  at  the  Vatican.  It  has  been  well  said  of  Bishop 
Rosati,  that  "  He  was  truly  a  holy  Bishop,  worthy  of  the 
brightest  ages  of  the  Church." 


RT.  REV.  BENEDICT  JOSEPH  FENWICK,  D.D. 

Second  Bishop  of  Boston,  A.D.  1825.* 

THE  exalted  virtues  and  noble  character  of  Bishop 
Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick  are  affectionately  remembered 
by  large  numbers  of  all  denominations  in  this  country. 
The  lasting  services  he  rendered  to  the  American  Church 
have  raised  up  many  monuments  to  his  fame.  He  truly 
illustrated,  in  his  life,  the  virtues  of  a  Christian,  the  zeal 
of  an  apostle,  and  the  loving  tenderness  of  a  true  Bishop 
and  father  of  his  flock. 

He  was  born  September  3,  1782,  near  Leonardtown, 
St.  Mary's  County,  Maryland.  The  Fenwicks  of  North- 
umberland County,  England,  were  the  ancestors  of  the 
Maryland  Fenwicks,  and  "  Fenwick  Manor,"  on  the  Pa- 
tuxent,  received  its  name  from  the  family  seat  in  England. 
Cuthbert  Fenwick,  the  founder  of  the  family  in  this 
country,  was  one  of  the  original  Catholic  Pilgrims  who 
fled  from  religious  persecution  in  their  own  country,  and, 
under  the  auspices  of  Lord  Baltimore  and  the  guidance 
of  his  brother,  Gov.  Leonard  Calvert,  founded  the  colony 
of  Maryland,  and  proclaimed  civil  and  religious  liberty 
as  the  corner-stone  of  its  institutions.  For  two  centuries 
this  family  were  zealous  supporters  of  the  faith  of  their 
ancestors,  through  prosperity  and  adversity ;  and,  if  we 
may  judge  from  the  number  of  eminent  and  zealous 
ecclesiastics  contributed  by  it  to  the  Church  in  the  pres- 
ent century,  their  piety  and  faith  grew  with  increased 

*  Authorities  :  Catholic  Almanac  for  1850  ;  Catholic  Magazine  for  1846 ;  Catho- 
lic Miscellany  ;  De  Courcy  &  Shea's  Catholic  Church  in  the  U.  S,  ;  Davis'  Day  Star 
of  American  Freedom,  etc.,  etc. 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  D.D.     375 

lustre  in  the  ordeal  of  adversity,  and  as  time  and  genera- 
tions passed  away.* 

The  early  education  of  Benedict  Joseph  was  derived 
from  his  good  parents,  who,  in  common  with  the  Catho- 
lics of  that  day  in  Maryland,  were  distinguished  for  an 
abiding  faith,  a  sincere  devotion,  and  a  conscientious  dis- 
charge of  duty.  Of  his  mother,  in  particular,  he  always 
spoke  throughout  life  in  terms  of  the  most  tender  affec- 
tion and  filial  gratitude,  as  the  one,  under  God,  to  whom 
he  owed  all  that  he  possessed  of  religion  and  piety.  It 
had  been  the  custom  among  the  Catholics  of  Maryland, 
during  the  Protestant  ascendency  in  the  colony  and  the 
disallowance  of  Catholic  institutions  of  education,  to  send 
their  children  to  the  Catholic  colleges  of  Belgium  and 
France  to  prosecute  their  studies.  But  no  sooner  was 
the  necessity  for  this  removed  by  the  American  Revolu- 
tion, and  the  restoration  of  that  religious  liberty  which 
their  ancestors  had  enjoyed  and  permitted  all  to  partici- 
pate in,  than  Catholics  began  to  provide  suitable  colleges 
for  the  education  of  their  youth  at  home.  Georgetown 
College  was  the  first  Catholic  college  founded  in  this 
country.  It  was  established  in  1792,  and  on  the  8th  of 
April  of  the  following  year,  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick 
and  his  elder  brother,  Enoch,  entered  as  students  in  this 
infant  seminary  of  learning.  They  were  fellow-students 
with,  and  enjoyed  the  companionship  and  friendship  of, 
the  good  and  gifted  Gaston,  of  North  Carolina. 

The  youthful  Fenwick  was  soon  distinguished  among 
his  comrades  for  his  quickness  of  intellect  and  rare  talents, 


*  Bishop  Edward  Fenwick,  of  Cincinnati,  and  Rev.  George  Fenwick,  Rev.  John 
Fenwick,  Rev.  Enoch  Fenwick,  and  several  other  learned" and  distinguished  priests  of 
the  same  name,  were  members  of  this  pious  family  :  Archbishop  Spalding  is  also  said 
to  be  related  to  the  Fcnwicks. 


376  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

as  well  as  by  his  genial  and  companionable  traits  of  charac- 
ter, and  by  his  profound  piety  and  sincere  devotion.  He 
won  the  highest  academic  honors  of  his  Alma  Mater,  and, 
after  finishing  his  course  of  philosophy,  he  occupied  the 
chair  of  professor  in  some  of  the  highest  branches  of 
education.  Among  his  colleagues  as  professors  were 
the  Rev.  Fathers  Nerinckx,  David,  Dubourg,  and  others, 
who  afterwards  became  distinguished  for  their  services 
to  religion  in  the  United  States. 

While  thus  engaged,  the  young  professor,  carried  on 
by  his  zealous  love  for  his  neighbor,  his  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  truth  and  the  salvation  of  souls,  was  strongly 
inclined  to  embrace  the  sacred  ministry,  for  which  he  felt 
an  inward  vocation.  He  resolved  to  dedicate  himself  to 
that  holy  office.  Accordingly,  in  1 805,  he  entered  the  The- 
ological Seminary  of  St.  Sulpice,  afterwards  St.  Mary's, 
then  under  the  direction  of  the  venerable  and  learned 
Father  Nagot,  and  devoted  himself  earnestly  to  the  study 
of  theology,  the  "  queen  of  sciences,"  and  to  his  prepara- 
tion for  the  priesthood.  Here  he  made  the  acquaintance 
and  participated  in  the  friendship  of  the  saintly  Flaget, 
who  was  afterwards  the  first  Bishop  of  Kentucky,  and  was 
recognized  as  a  Patriarch  of  Catholicity  in  the  West.  A 
biographer  of  Bishop  Fenwick  thus  speaks  of  the  young 
Levite  while  under  the  Sulpitians  at  Baltimore  : — "  The 
young  student  in  theology  was  no  less  successful  in  his 
studies  in  Baltimore  than  he  had  been  at  Georgetown, 
and  there,  too,  he  won  the  esteem  and  affection  of  both 
professors  and  students.  The  good  Father  Gamier,  late 
Superior  General  of  the  Sulpitians,  loved  often  to  speak 
of  the  amiable  qualities,  the  quickness  of  apprehension, 
the  solidity  of  judgment,  and  the  happy  wit  of  the  young 
Fenwick,  whose  name  and  memory  were  ever  fresh  in 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  D.D.     377 

his  mind."  *  As  soon  as  the  Society  of  Jesus  was  re- 
stored in  the  United  States,  in  1806,  and  the  College  of 
Georgetown  placed  under  the  charge  of  the  members  of 
that  illustrious  Order,  Mr.  Fenwick  and  his  brother 
Enoch  entered  it  among  the  first  as  theological  students 
and  scholastics  of  the  Society.  Here  the  teachings  of 
an  Ignatius  and  the  example  of  a  Xavier  made  the 
most  lasting  impressions  upon  his  mind  and  character, 
and  laid  the  foundation  of  those  brilliant  virtues  which 
illustrated  his  after  life.  His  close  application  to  study, 
the  readiness  with  which  he  acquired  the  learning  neces- 
sary for  that  important  step,  and  the  great  demand  then 
existing  for  an  increase  of  the  clergy  of  the  country,  all 
contributed  to  shorten  the  term  of  his  studies  and  hasten 
his  ordination.  He  was  elevated  to  the  priesthood  and 
ordained  by  Bishop  Neale,  then  coadjutor  to  Archbishop 
Carroll,  March  12,  1808, .at  Georgetown  College.  In 
1809  he  was  sent  by  his  superiors,  together  with  Father 
Anthony  Kohlman,  S.  J.,  to  New  York,  to  attend  to  the 
spiritual  wants  of  the  scattered  Catholics  in  that  city  and 
vicinity.  St.  Peter's,  then  the  only  Catholic  Church  in 
that  city,  was  placed  under  their  charge,  and  Fathers 
Fenwick  and  Kohlman  devoted  themselves  with  untiring 
zeal  to  the  promotion  of  their  neighbors'  good  and  to 
the  spread  of  religion  and  education  among  the  people. 
An  episcopal  See  was  now  erected  at  New  York,  and 
these  good  priests  were  cheered  with  the  hope  of  soon 
welcoming  to  his  diocese  the  newly  appointed  Bishop, 
the  Right  Rev.  Luke  Concanen ;  but  they  were  not  des- 
tined to  enjoy  this  happiness.  Bishop  Concanen  died  at 
Naples  on  the  eve  of  his  departure  for  New  York,  and  the 
diocese  was  left  for  some  time  without  a  chief  pastor.  In 

*  Cat /w  lie  Almanac, 


378  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

the  mean  time  Fathers  Kohlman  and  Fenwick  were  build- 
ing up  and  cementing  the  Church  of  New  York.    Early 
in  1809  a  Catholic  school  was  established,  and  with  the 
assistance  of  four  young  scholastics  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus,  Messrs.  Michael  White,  James  Redmond,  Adam 
Marshall,  and  James  Wallace,  conducted  with  great  suc- 
cess.    At  first  the  institution  was  located  on  some  lots  in 
front  of  the  Cathedral,  which  had  been  purchased  as  a 
site  for  that  purpose ;  in  September  it  was  transferred  to 
Broadway,  and  in  the  following  year  it  was  removed  to 
the   corner  of  Fifth  avenue   and  Fiftieth    street.     The 
school  was   called  "  The  New  York    Literary  Institu- 
tion," and  the  same  biographer  thus  alludes  to  it : — "The 
New  York  Literary  Institution,  under  his  (Father  Fen- 
wick's)  guidance,  reached  an  eminence  scarcely  surpassed 
by  any  at  the  present  day.     In  1813  the  Institution  con- 
tained seventy-four  boarders.   "  Such  was  its  reputation 
even  among  Protestants,  that  Governor  Tompkins,  after- 
wards Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  thought  none 
more  eligible  for  the  education  of  his  own  children,  and 
ever   afterwards   professed   towards   its   president   the 
highest  esteem.     De  Witt  Clinton  also,  when  Mayor  of 
New  York,  testified  his  high  regard  for  him  by  acced- 
ing to  his  request  in  behalf  of  some  unfortunate  Catho- 
lics who  came  within  the  penalties  of  the  civil  law,  and 
were  to  be  imprisoned  for  some  civil  offence."    The  good 
Jesuits  found  it  difficult  to  sustain  the  care  of  this  Insti- 
tution and  at  the  same  time  perform  their  other  varied 
and  important  duties.     Fortunately  there  was  a  body  of 
religious  in  New  York  who  were  willing  to  assume  its 
conduct,  and  the  Institution  was  accordingly  transferred 
to   the  Order  of  Trappists,  who  had  recently  entered 
the  diocese. 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  D.D      379 

One  of  the  most  interesting  events  in  the  life  of  Bishop 
Fenwick  was  the  visit  which  he,  together  with  Father 
Kohlman,  paid  to  Thomas  Paine,  the  philosophei  and  in- 
fidel. Father  Fenwick  wrote  an  interesting  account  of 
this  circumstance  in  a  letter  addressed  by  himself,  while 
Bishop  of  Boston,  to  his  brother,  Rev.  Enoch  Fenwick, 
at  Georgetown  College,  which  will  be  read  with  interest: 
"A  short  time  before  Paine  died,  I  was  sent  for  by  him. 
He  was  prompted  to  this  by  a  poor  Catholic  woman, 
who  went  to  see  him  in  his  sickness,  and  who  told  him, 
among  other  things,  that,  in  his  wretched  condition,  if  any 
body  could  do  him  good,  it  would  be  a  Roman  Catholic 
priest.  This  woman  was  an  American  convert  (formerly 
a  Shaking  Quakeress),  whom  I  had  received  into  the 
Church  only  a  few  weeks  before.  She  was  the  bearer 
of  the  message  to  me  from  Paine.  I  stated  this  circum- 
stance to  F..  Kohlman  at  breakfast,  and  requested  him 
to  accompany  me.  After  some  solicitation  on  my  part, 
he  agreed  to  do  so,  at  which  I  was  greatly  rejoiced,  be- 
cause I  was  at  the  time  quite  young  and  inexperienced 
in  the  ministry,  and  was  glad  to  have  his  assistance,  as  I 
knew,  from  the  great  reputation  of  Paine,  that  I  should 
have  to  do  with  one  of  the  most  impious  as  well  as  in- 
famous of  men. 

"  We  shortly  after  set  out  for  the  house  at  Greenwich 
where  Paine  lodged,  and  on  the  way  agreed  upon  a 
mode  of  proceeding  with  him. 

"We  arrived  at  the  house;  a  decent-looking  elderly 
woman  (probably  his  housekeeper)  came  to  the  door, 
and  inquired  whether  we  were  the  Catholic  priests,  'for,' 
said  she,  'Mr.  Paine  has  been  so  much  annoyed  of  late 
by  ministers  of  different  other  denominations  calling 
upon  him,  that  he  has  left  express  orders  with  me  to  ad- 


380  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

mit  no  one  to-day  but  the  clergymen  of  the  Catholic 
Church.'  Upon  assuring  her  that  we  were  Catholic 
clergymen,  she  opened  the  door,  and  showed  us  into  the 
parlor.  She  then  left  the  room,  and  shortly  after  re- 
turned to  inform  us  that  Paine  was  asleep,  and  at  the 
same  time  expressed  a  wish  that  we  would  not  disturb 
him ;  '  for,'  said  she,  '  he  is  always  in  a  bad  humor  when 
roused  out  of  his  sleep — 'tis  better  to  wait  a  little  till  he 
be  awake.'  We  accordingly  sat  down  and  resolved  to 
await  the  more  favorable  moment.  'Gentlemen,'  said 
the  lady,  after  having  taken  her  seat  also,  '  I  really  wish 
you  may  succeed  with  Mr.  Paine ;  for  he  is  laboring  un- 
der great  distress  of  mind  ever  since  he  was  informed 
by  his  physicians  that  he  cannot  possibly  live,  and  must 
die  shortly.  He  sent  for  you  to-day  because  he  was 
told  that  if  any  one  could  do  him  good  you  might.  Pos- 
sibly he  may  think  that  you  know  of  some  remedy 
which  his  physicians  are  ignorant  of.  He  is  truly  to  be 
pitied.  His  cries,  when  he  is  left  alone,  are  truly  heart- 
rending. '  O,  Lord,  help  me!'  he  will  exclaim  during  his 
paroxysms  of  distress,  '  God  help  me!'  'Jesus  Christ 
help  me!'  repeating  the  same  expressions  without  any 
the  least  variation,  in  a  tone  of  voice  that  would  alarm 
the  house.  Sometimes  he  will  say :  '  O,  God,  what  have 
I  done  to  suffer  so  much!'  Then,  shortly  after:  ' But 
there  is  no  God! '  And  again,  a  little  after :  '  Yet  if  there 
should  be,  what  will  become  of  me  hereafter  ? '  Thus  he 
will  continue  for  some  time,  when  on  a  sudden  he  will 
scream  as  if  in  terror  and  agony,  and  call  out  for  me  by 
name.  On  one  of  these  occasions,  which  are  very  fre- 
quent, I  went  to  him,  and  inquired  what  he  wanted. 
'  Stay  with  me'  he  replied,  'for  God's  sake  •  for  I  cannot 
bear  to  be  left  alone'  I  then  observed  that  I  could  not 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  D.D.     381 

always  be  with  him,  as  I  had  much  to  attend  to  in  the 
house.     '  Then,'  said  he,  '  send  even  a  child  to  stay  with 
me  •  for  it  is  a  hell  to  be  alone'     I  never  saw,'  she  con 
eluded,    'a  more    unhappy — a    more  forsaken   man;    it 
seems  he  cannot  reconcile  himself  to  die.' 

"Such  was  the  conversation  o£  the  woman  who  had 
received  us,  and  who  probably  had  been  employed  to 
nurse  and  take  care  of  him  during  his  illness.  She  was 
a  Protestant,  yet  seemed  very  desirous  that  we  should 
afford  him  some  relief  in  his  state  of  abandonment,  bor- 
dering on  complete  despair.  Having  remained  thus  some 
time  in  the  parlor,  we  at  length  heard  a  noise  in  the  ad- 
joining room  across  the  passage-way,  which  induced  us 
to  believe  that  Mr.  Paine,  who  was  sick  in  that  room, 
had  awoke.  We  accordingly  proposed  to  proceed  thither, 
which  was  assented  to  by  the  woman,  and  she  opened 
the  door  for  us.  On  entering  we  found  him  just  getting 
out  of  his  slumber.  A  more  wretched  being  in  appear- 
ance I  never  before  beheld.  He  was  lying  in  a  bed  suf- 
ficiently decent  in  itself,  but  at  present  besmeared  with 
filth;  his  look  was  that  of  a  man  greatly  tortured  in 
mind^  his  eyes  haggard,  his  countenance  forbidding,  and 
his  whole  appearance  that  of  one  whose  better  days  had 
been  but  one  continued  scene  of  debauch.  His  only 
nourishment  at  this  time,  as  we  were  informed,  was  noth- 
ing more  than  milk  punch,  in  which  he  indulged  to  the 
full  extent  of  his  weak  state.  He  had  partaken,  undoubt- 
edly, but  very  recently  of  it,  as  the  sides  and  corners  of 
his  mouth  exhibited  very  unequivocal  traces  of  it  as  well 
as  of  blood,  which  had  also  flowed  in  the  track  and  left 
its  marks  on  the  pillow.  His  face,  to  a  certain  extent, 
had  also  been  besmeared  with  it.  The  head  of  his  bed 
was  against  the  side  of  the  room  through  which  the  door 


382  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

opened.  F.  Kohlman,  having  entered  first,  took  a  seat 
on  the  side,  near  the  foot  of  his  bed.  I  took  my  seat  on 
the  same  side  near  the  head.  Thus,  in  the  posture  in 
which  Paine  lay,  his  eyes  could  easily  bear  on  F.  Kohl- 
man, but  not  on  me  easily  without  turning  his  head. 

"As  soon  as  we  had  seated  ourselves,  F.  Kohlman,  in 
a  very  mild  tone  of  voice,  informed  him  that  we  were 
Catholic  priests,  and  were  come,  on  his  invitation,  to 
see  him.  Paine  made  no  reply.  After  a  short  pause,  F. 
Kohlman  proceeded  thus,  addressing  himself  to  Paine  in 
the  French  language,  thinking  that,  as  Paine  had  been  in 
France,  he  was  probably  acquainted  with  that  language 
(which,  however,  was  not  the  fact),  and  might  under- 
stand better  what  he  said,  as  he  had  at  that  time  a 
greater  facility,  and  could  express  his  thoughts  better  in 
it  than  in  the  English : — 

"'Mons.  Paine,  j'ai  lu  votre  livre  intitul£  L'Age  de  la 
Raison,  ou  vous  avez  attaque  1'ecriture  sainte  avec  une 
violence,  sans  bornes,  et  d'autres  de  vos  ecrits  publics 
en  France:  et  je  suis  persuade  que.'  Paine  here  inter- 
rupted him  abruptly,  and  in  a  sharp  tone  of  voice,  or- 
dering him  to  speak  English,  thus:  'Speak  English, 
man,  speak  English.' — '  Mr.  Paine,  I  have  read  your 
book  entitled  the  Age  of  Reason,  as  well  as  other  of  your 
writings  against  the  Christian  religion ;  and  I  am  at  a 
loss  to  imagine  how  a  man  of  your  good  sense  could 
have  employed  his  talents  in  attempting  to  undermine 
what,  to  say  nothing  of  its  divine  establishment,  the  wis- 
dom of  ages  has  deemed  most  conducive  to  the  happiness 
of  man.  The  Christian  religion,  sir/ — 

"  '  That's  enough,  sir,  that's  enough/  said  Paine,  again 
interrupting  him ;  '  I  see  what  you  would  be  about — I  wish 
to  hear  no  more  from  you,  sir.  My  mind  is  made  up  on  that 


Right  Rev.  B.enedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  D.D.     383 

subject.  I  look  upon  the  whole  of  the  Christian  scheme 
to  be  a  tissue  of  absurdities  and  lies,  and  J.  C.  to  be 
nothing  more  than  a  cunning"  knave  and  an  impostor.' 

"  F.  Kohlman  here  attempted  to  speak  again,  when 
Paine,  with  a  lowering  countenance,  ordered  him  in- 
stantly to  be  silent  and  to  trouble  him  no  more.  '  I  have 
told  you  already  that  I  wish'  to  hear  nothing  more  from 
you.' 

"  '  The  Bible,  sir,'  said  F.  Kohlman,  still  attempting 
to  speak,  '  is  a  sacred  and  divine  book,  which  has  stood 
the  test  and  the  criticism  of  abler  pens  than  yours — 
pens  which  have  made  at  least  some  show  of  argument, 
and—' 

"  '  Your  Bible,'  returned  Paine,  '  contains  nothing  but 
fables ;  yes,  fables,  and  I  have  proved  it  to  a  demonstra- 
tion.' 

"  All  this  time  I  looked  on  the  monster  with  pity,  min- 
gled with  indignation  at  his  blasphemies.  I  felt  a  de- 
gree of  horror  at  thinking  that  in  a  very  short  time  he 
would  be  cited  to  appear  before  the  tribunal  of  his  God, 
whom  he  so  shockingly  blasphemed,  and  with  all  his  sins 
upon  him.  Seeing  that  F.  Kohlman  had  completely  fail- 
ed in  making  any  impression  upon  him,  and  that  Paine 
could  listen  to  nothing  that  came  from  him,  nor  would 
even  suffer  him  to  speak,  I  finally  concluded  to  try  what 
effect  I  might  have.  I  accordingly  commenced  with  ob- 
serving :  '  Mr.  Paine,  you  will  certainly  allow  that  there 
exists  a  God,  and  this  God  cannot  be  indifferent  to  the 
conduct  and  actions  of  his  creatures.' — '  I  will  allow 
nothing,  sir,'  he  hastily  replied,  '  I  shall  make  no  conces- 
sions.'— 'Well,  sir,  if  you  will  listen  calmly  for  one  mo- 
ment,' said  I,  '  I  will  prove  to  you  that  there  is  such  a 
Being ;  and  I  will  demonstrate  from  His  very  nature  that 


384  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

He  cannot  be  an  idle  spectator  of  our  conduct.' — '  Sir,  I 
wish  to  hear  nothing  you  have  to  say ;  I  see  your  object, 
gentlemen,  is  to  trouble  me ;  I  wish  you  to  leave  the 
room.'  This  he  spoke  in  an  exceedingly  angry  tone,  so 
much  so  that  he  foamed  at  the  mouth.  '  Mr.  Paine/  I 
continued,  '  I  assure  you  our  object  in  coming  hither  was 
purely  to  do  you  good.  We  had  no  other  motive.  \Ve 
had  been  given  to  understand  •  that  you  wished  to  see 
us,  and  we  are  come  accordingly,  because  it  is  a  prin- 
ciple with  us  never  to  refuse  our  services  to  a  dying  man 
asking  for  them.  But  for  this  we  should  not  have  come, 
for  we  never  obtrude  upon  any  individual.' 

"  Paine,  on  hearing  this,  seemed  to  relax  a  little  ;  in  a 
milder  tone  of  voice  than  any  he  had  yet  used,  he  replied, 
'  You  can  do  me  no  good  now — it  is  too  late.  I  have  tried 
different  physicians,  and  their  remedies  have  all  failed.  I 
have  nothing  now  to  expect  (this  he  spoke  with  a 
sigh)  but  a  speedy  'dissolution.  My  physicians  have  in- 
deed told  me  as  much.' — '  You  have  misunderstood,'  said 
I  immediately  to  him,  '  we  are  not  come  to  prescribe  any 
remedies  for  your  bodily  complaints,  we  only  come  to 
make  you  an  offer  of  our  ministry  for  the  good  of.  your 
immortal  soul,  which  is  in  great  danger  of  being  forever 
cast  off  by  the  Almighty  on  account  of  your  sins,  and 
especially  for  the  crime  of  having  vilified  and  rejected  His 
word,  and  uttered  blasphemies  against  His  Son.'  Paine, 
on  hearing  this,  was  roused  into  a  fury ;  he  gritted  his 
teeth,  twisted  and  turned  himself  several  times  in  his 
bed,  uttering  all  the  time  the  bitterest  imprecations,  I 
firmly  believe,  such  was  the  rage  in  which  he  was  at 
this  time,  that  if  he  had  had  a  pistol  he  would  have  shot 
one  of  us  ;  for  he  conducted  himself  more  like  a  madman 
than  a  rational  creature.  '  Begone,'  says  he,  '  and  trou- 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  D.D.     385 

ble  me  no  more.  I  was  in  peace,'  he  continued,  '  till  you 
came.' — '  We  know  better  than  that,'  replied  F.  Kohl- 
man,  '  we  know  that  you  cannot  be  in  peace — there  can 
be  no  peace  for  the  wicked ;  God  has  said  it.' — '  Away 
with  you,  and  your  God  too;  leave  the  room  instantly!' 
he  exclaimed ;  '  all  that  you  have  uttered  are  lies,  filthy 
lies,  and  if  I  had  a  little  more  time  I  would  prove  it,  as  I 
did  about  your  impostor  Jesus  Christ.' — '  Monster,'  ex- 
claimed F.  Kohlman,  in  a  burst  of  zeal,  '  you  will  have  no 
more  time — your  hour  is  arrived.  Think  rather  of  the 
awful  account  you  have  already  to  render,  and  implore 
pardon  of  God ;  provoke  no  longer  His  just  indignation 
upon  your  head.'  Paine  here  ordered  us  again  to  retire, 
in  the  highest  pitch  of  his  voice,  and  seemed  a  very  ma- 
niac with  rage  and  madness.  '  Let  us  go,'  said  I  to  F. 
Kohlman,  '  we  have  nothing  more  to  do  here.  He  seems 
to  be  entirely  abandoned  by  God ;  further  words  are  lost 
upon  him.' 

"  Upon  this  we  withdrew  both  from  the  room,  and  left 
the  unfortunate  man  to  his  own  thoughts.  I  never,  be- 
fore or  since,  beheld  a  more  hardened  wretch. 

"  This,  you  may  rely  upon  it,  is  a  faithful  and  correct 
account  of  this  transaction. 

Upon  the  death  of  Bishop  Concanen,  Father  Kohlman 
was  appointed  Administrator  of  the  diocese  of  New  York. 
Subsequently  Father  Fenwick  was  appointed  to  this 
important  position,  and  discharged  the  arduous  duties  of 
it  with  marked  ability ;  blending  energy  with  mildness, 
and  a  ripe  scholarship  with  a  sound  judgment,  success 
crowned  his  administration  at  every  step.  He  visited 
every  part  of  the  vast  diocese,  looking  up  the  wandering 
Catholics  and  leading  them  back  to  the  fold  from  which 
they  had  strayed,  and  by  his  learned  and  persuasive  dis- 
25 


386  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

courses  converting  many  Protestants  to  the  ancient  faith. 
In  one  of  his  visits  to  Albany,  in  search  of  the  few  Catholics 
living  there,  a  Quaker  lady  of  distinction  in  her  own  sect 
was  so  impressed  by  the  earnestness,  eloquence,  and  true 
Christian  sentiments  of  one  of  his  discourses,  that  she 
undertook,  in  the  well-meant  charity  of  her  heart,  the  task 
of  reclaiming  so  good  and  learned  a  man  from  what  she 
supposed  to  be  the  error  of  Popery.  She  was  received 
by  Father  Fenwick  with  every  exhibition  of  gentleness, 
patience,  and  respect.  The  good  lady,  so  far  from  carry- 
ing her  point,  received  the  grace  of  conversion  through 
the  instrumentality  of  her  learned  opponent,  who  receiv- 
ed her  profession  of  faith,  and  welcomed  her  to  the  one 
fold  of  Christ.  Among  other  important  and  remarkable 
conversions  effected  through  the  ministry  of  Father 
Fenwick  may  be  mentioned  the  following,  viz. : — that  of 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Kewley,  rector  of  the  Episcopal  Church  of 
St.  George,  in  the'  City  of  New  York,  who,  after  his  con- 
version, went  abroad,  and  is  reported  to  have  entered  a 
religious  house  in  Belgium  ;  that  of  the  Rev.  Virgil  Bar- 
ber, rector  of  the  Episcopal  Church  and  Seminary  near 
Utica,  New  York,  who  subsequently  entered  the  Society 
of  Jesus,  was  received  into  the  sacred  ministry,  and  after 
many  years  performing  the  duties  of  professor  at 
Georgetown  College,  died  there,  an  object  of  great  ven- 
eration. He  had  the  consolation  of  seeing  his  example 
followed  by  all  his  family,  for  his  wife  and  daughter  en- 
tered a  religious  house  at  the  same  time  that  he  joined 
the  Society  of  Jesus,  and  his  son,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Bar- 
ber, became  an  ornament  to  the  same  Society  and  to  the 
holy  priesthood.  Another  conversion  was  that  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Ironside,  an  Episcopal  minister,  who  edified 
all  that  knew  him  by  his  exemplary  life  in  the  Church,  of 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  D.D.     387 

which  he  thenceforth  lived  and  died  an  humble  member. 
Many  hundreds  of  conversions  among  the  laity  also  re- 
warded the  zeal  of  Father  Fenwick  in  New  York. 

The  increase  of  Catholics  in  the  City  of  New  York, 
under  the  untiring  labors  of  Fathers  Kohlman  and  Fen- 
wick, rendered  the  erection  of  another  church  necessary 
to  accommodate  the  people.  Father  Fenwick  accord- 
ingly commenced  the  erection  of  the  Cathedral  of  St. 
Patrick,  from  designs  and  plans  of  his  own.  It  was  not 
completed  until  after  his  departure  from  the  diocese. 
He  was  Vicar-General  of  Bishop  Connelly  during  the 
year  1816. 

In  the  spring  of  1817,  his  superiors  recalled  him  from 
his  New  York  mission,  and  he  was  appointed  President 
of  Georgetown  College,  a  post  which  he  filled  for  one 
year,  and  in  the  mean  time  performed  the  parochial  duties 
of  pastor  of  Trinity  Church,  Georgetown.  The  biogra- 
pher of  the  Bishop  makes  the  following  notice  of  his 
presidency  of  the  college :  "  The  college  never  flourished 
more  than  when  it  was  under  his  direction,  for  no  nomi- 
nation of  a  presiding  officer  could  have  been  more 
popular.  Returning  to  his  Alma  Mater,  with  his  brow 
decked  with  the  modest  wreath  of  many  laurels,  gained 
in  the  peaceful  service  of  a  Christian  warfare,  Maryland 
hailed  with  increased  exultation  and  fondness  her  son, 
who,  honored  abroad,  had  thus  become  more  beloved  at 
home.  The  pleasing  reminiscences  of  his  former  abode 
in  college  had  been  kept  alive  and  handed  down  by  the 
admiring  youth  who  before  frequented  his  school ;  while 
his  sincerity  and  urbane  deportment,  in  which  the  polish 
of  the  gentleman  was  perfected  by  the  probity  of  the 
Christian,  entirely  gained  the  good  graces  and  the  con 
fid*  nee  of  their  parents." 


388  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

His  adaptation  to  new  and  trying  duties  was  now 
illustrated.  As  far  back  as  the  episcopate  of  Archbishop 
Neale,  troubles  had  existed  in  the  church  at  Charleston, 
South  Carolina.  The  spirit  of  disunion  and  schism 
which  divided  and  disorganized  the  Catholics  there,  not- 
withstanding the  efforts  of  the  good  Archbishop,  con 
tinued  to  exist,  and  it  remained  for  his  successor,  Arch- 
bishop Marechal,  to  exert  his  efforts  to  the  same  end. 
The  latter  applied,  in  the  fall  of  1818,  to  the  Society  of 
Jesus  for,  and  obtained  the  services  of,  Father  Fenwick, 
and  sent  him  as  Vicar-General  to  Charleston,  to  take 
charge  of  the  religious  interests  of  that  city,  and  heal  the 
wounds  of  that  afflicted  portion  of  the  flock  of  Christ. 
The  people  were  divided  between  two  parties,  the  one 
speaking  French,  and  the  other  speaking  English;  all 
attending  one  and  the  same  church,  and  each  insisting 
on  having  the  sermons  preached  in  their  own  language 
to  the  exclusion  of  the  other.  Each  .party  was  unwilling 
to  remain  in  church  while  a  sermon  was  preached  in 
the  language  of  the  opposite  one.  Father  Fenwick's 
thoroughness  of  education,  his  varied  experience,  good 
humor,  untiring  patience  and  charity,  blended  with 
firmness,  and  his  ability  to  preach  fluently  in  each 
language,  peculiarly  qualified  him  for  the  task  now  im- 
posed upon  him.  His  ingenuity  invented  a  somewhat 
novel  as  well  as  practical  and  good-humored  mode  of 
making -peace  by  attempting  to  please  both  parties  at 
one  and  the  same  time,  and  thus  showing  them  the  folly 
of  their  conduct.  Ascending  the  pulpit,  he  commenced 
his  discourse  in  both  languages,  alternating  the  French 
and  English  in  rapid  succession.  The  experiment  was 
successful;  peace  was  restored,  and  the  members  of  the 
congregation  knew  each  other  ever  afterwards,  not  as 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  D.D.    389 

French,  English,  or  Irish,  but  only  as  Catholics.  Thus, 
by  the  exercise  of  a  practical  judgment  and  amiable  de- 
portment, he  secured  a  happy  solution  of  a  most  embar- 
rassing difficulty,  which  for  several  years  had  baffled  the 
efforts  and  defied  the  authority  of  the  rulers  of  the  Church. 

A  wide  extent  of  country  was  visited  and  administered 
unto  by  him,  and  his  missionary  calls  not  unfrequently 
carried  him  on  journeys  of  two  and  even  three  hundred 
miles  distance,  to  administer  the  sacraments  and  assist 
the  dying.  His  zeal  in  the  cause  of  religion,  and  his  de- 
sire to  promote  the  interests  of  the  new  diocese  erected 
for  the  Carolinas,  induced  him  to  remain  at  Charleston, 
separated  from  his  Order  and  diocese,  for  one  year  after 
the  advent  of  Bishop  England,  who,  in  his  history  of  the 
diocese  of  Charleston,*  alludes  to  Father  Fenwick's  ser- 
vices to  the  Church  in  that  city  in  the  following  terms: 
"In  1817  peace  was  in  some  degree  restored  to  the 
church  of  Charleston  by  the  exertions  of  the  present 
respectable  Bishop  of  Boston,  Doctor  Fenwick,  a  native 
of  Maryland,  and  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Jesuits, 
who  was  accompanied  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wallace,  a  native 
of  the  County  Kilkenny,  Ireland.  By  the  prudent 
administration,  the  zealous  discharge  of  every  duty,  and 
the  conciliating  manners  of  these  gentlemen,  and  by  re- 
moving some  of  the  causes  of  previous  irritation,  much 
good  was  effected ;  the  people  were  reunited,  the  church 
reopened,  and  the  sacraments  again  regularly  approached 
by  many  who  had  been  long  absent." 

Father  Fenwick  returned  to  Georgetown  College  in 
May,  1822,  and  by  order  of  his  Superior  entered  on  the 
duties  of  Minister  of  the  College  and  Procurator-General 
of  the  Society  of  Jesus  in  this  country.  In  1824  he  was 

*  Bishop  England's  Works,  Vol.  iii.,  p.  253. 


390  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

again  appointed  President  of  the  College,  which  office  he 
filled  for  about  a  year,  when  he  was  sent  to  Charles 
County,  Maryland,  to  assume  the  spiritual  direction  of 
the  Carmelite  Convent  then  located  there,  which  was 
subsequently  removed  to  Baltimore,  succeeding  in  these 
duties  the  venerable  Father  Charles  Neale,  and  con- 
tinuing to  perform  them,  and  to  attend  at  the  same  time 
to  the  parochial  duties  of  the  neighborhood,  with  zeal 
and  devotion,  until  the  highest  authority  in  the  Catholic 
Church  called  him  to  another  and  vastly  more  arduous 
and  important  station. 

The  episcopal  see  of  Boston  had  been  left  vacant  by 
the  retirement  of  Bishop  Cheverus  to  France.  In  July, 
1825,  Father  Fen  wick  received  from  Rome  the  bulls  of 
Pope  Leo  XII.,  dated  May  10,  1825,  appointing  him  suc- 
cessor to  the  saintly  Cheverus.  His  first  step,  on  re- 
ceiving these  documents,  was  to  retire  for  eight  days 
from  the  world,  and  in  spiritual  retreat  to  commune  with 
God  and  his  conscience  as  to  his  duties  in  this  important 
crisis,  and  to  prepare  himself  for  the  arduous  and  exalted 
position  to  which  he  had  been  called.  He  then  repaired 
to  Baltimore,  and  was  consecrated  on  the  festival  of  All 
Saints,  1825,  by  the. Most  Rev.  Archbishop  Marechal, 
assisted  by  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  England,  Bishop  of 
Charleston,  and  the  Right  Rev.  Henry  Conwell,  Bishop 
of  Philadelphia.  Bishop  England  delivered  on  this 
occasion  one  of  his  masterly  sermons,  on  the  origin, 
foundation,  and  extent  of  the  episcopal  power.  The 
concourse  of  people  at  the  Cathedral  was  immense,  in- 
cluding many  distinguished  public  functionaries,  and 
clergymen  of  other  denominations.  Again  returning  to 
his  Alma  Mater  at  Georgetown,  and  taking  leave  of  and 
asking  the  prayers  of  his  associates  of  the  Society  of 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  D.D.    391 

Jesus,  Bishop  Fenwick  departed  for  Boston,  accom- 
panied by  Bishop  England  and  the  Rev.  Virgil  Barber. 
He  arrived  at  his  See  on  the  third  of  December.  The 
following  article,  from  the  Boston  Gazette,  is  at  once 
creditable  to  the  enlightened  journal,  which  in  1825 
dealt  so  fairly  with  Catholic  interests  in  the  midst  of  a 
prejudiced  community,  and  to  the  distinguished  persons 
noticed  therein : 

"  The  appointment  of  a  Catholic  Bishop  of  Boston.— 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Taylor  yesterday  announced  to  his  flock 
that  the  bulls  for  the  appointment  of  the  Very  Rev. 
Benedict  Fenwick,  of  Maryland,  to  be  Roman  Catholic 
Bishop  of  Boston,  had  arrived,  and  that  the  consecration 
would  take  place  at  Baltimore  about  the  ist  of  Novem- 
ber next,  and  that  Bishop  Fenwick  would  soon  after 
reach  this  city,  to  take  upon  himself  the  duties  of  the 
office; — that  he  (Mr.  Taylor)  should  depart  for  Europe 
about  the  I5th  of  November.  Mr.  Taylor  spoke  in 
high  terms  of  the  virtues  of  Mr.  Fenwick — his  mildness, 
his  urbanity,  and  his  learning;  and  congratulated  the 
congregation  and  the  Bishop  elect  upon  this  appoint- 
ment over  a  people  so  kind,  so  grateful,  and  so  gen- 
erous to  their  spiritual  guides." 

The  following  interesting  account  of  Bishop  Fenwick's 
installation  is  given  in  the  United  States  Catholic  Mis- 
cellany of  December  21,  1825: — "On  Sunday,  the  4th, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Taylor,  attended  by  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Ryan, 
of  Maine,  and  Byrne,  of  Boston,  appeared  at  the  altar  of 
the  Cathedral  Church  of  the  Holy  Cross  in  Boston,  and 
shortly  after  the  Rev.  Mr.  Barber,  of  New  Hampshire, 
entered  the  sanctuary,  attended  by  the  Bishop  of  Charles- 
ton, who  accompanied  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Fenwick  to  his 
See  Doctor  Fenwick,  in  his  vestments,  with  his  mitre 


392  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

and  crozier,  followed.  And  the  Bishop  of  Charleston 
addressed  Mr.  Taylor,  introducing  the  new  Bishop,  and 
presenting  the  documents  of  his  appointment  and  cer- 
tificates of  consecration,  stated  that  he  came  to  take  pos- 
session of  his  See.  A  translation  of  those  documents 
was  then  read,  after  which  Mr.  Taylor  addressed  the 
congregation  in  a  strain  of  eloquence  seldom  surpassed, 
in  which  he  stated  the  gratification  which  he  felt  in  re- 
signing his  place  and  expectations  to  a  native  Ameri- 
can, and  to  one  who  had  been  so  eminently  useful  in  the 
American  Church.  After  paying  a  well-merited  compli- 
ment to  the  memory  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Matignon,  and  to 
Doctor  Cheverus,  he  spoke  in  the  highest  commendation 
of  the  purity  and  zeal  of  the  clergy  then  before  him,  and 
of  the  docility,  piety,  and  other  virtues  of  the  flock,  of 
the  liberality  and  charity  of  their  brethren,  and  express- 
ed his  feelings  of  respect  for  Bishop  England,  the  asso- 
ciate of  his  earlier  days,  and  his  companion  in  the  coun- 
try which  they  both  once  looked  upon  as  their  own  : 
after  which  he  expressed  his  gratitude  to  the  new  Prelate 
for  the  kind  request  which  he  had  made,  that  he  (Mr. 
Taylor)  would  continue  with  him  in  the  same  situation  of 
Vicar-General,  as  he  had  been  with  his  predecessor,  and 
stated  that  nothing  would  have  induced  him  to  decline 
acceding  to  the  request  except  the  cause  which  he  now 
assigned ;  he  then  read  a  letter  from  Doctor  Cheverus  in- 
viting him  to  Montauban,  and  this  invitation  he  had  ac- 
cepted. He  then  prayed  for  many  happy  and  prosperous 
years  to  the  Bishop  and  his  flocks,  requesting  to  be  re- 
membered in  their  sacrifices  and  prayers.  The  Bishops, 
clergy,  and  congregation,  in  which  were  several  hundred 
highly  respectable  members  of  other  denominations,  were 
deeply  affected.  Mr.  Taylor  then  pointed  out  his  chair 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwicky  D.D.    393 

to  the  new  Prelate,  and  the  Bishop  of  Charleston  then 
led  the  Bishop  of  Boston  thereto,  and  the  usual  prayers 
upon  the  arrival  of  a  new  Prelate  in  his  See  were  said 
by  Mr.  Taylor. 

"  Doctor  Fenwickthen  prepared  for  High  Mass,  which 
he  celebrated,  being  attended  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Barber  as 
Deacon,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Byrne  as  Subdeacon.  Dr. 
England  occupied  a  chair  provided  for  him  at  the  opposite 
side,  where  he  was  attended  by  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Taylor 
and  Ryan,  and  after  the  Gospel  he  preached  on  the  duties 
which  the  flock  owes  to  its  Bishop.  During  the  discourse 
he  took  occasion  to  expatiate  upon  the  virtues  and  talents 
of  the  former  pastors  of  that  church,  the  good  effects 
of  which  were  so  gratifying,  evinced  in  the  fine  piety  and 
Christian  demeanor  of  the  Catholics  of  New  England. 
He  also  paid  a  well-deserved  tribute  to  the  good  quali- 
ties of  their  present  Bishop,  with  whom  he  was  inti- 
mately acquainted,  and  from  whom  he  had  experienced 
much  kindness  and  considerable  aid  in  the  discharge 
of  his  own  duties.  He  also  spoke  in  terms  of  gratitude 
of  the  liberality  and  charity  of  his  separated  brethren  in 
Boston,  for  their  aid  in  the  erection  of  that  church,  and 
their  kindness  always  exhibited  to  its  pastors.  At  Ves- 
pers the .  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Fenwick  officiated,  and  the 
Bishop  of  Charleston  preached  on  the  Gospel  of  the  day. 
The  church  was  closely  thronged  on  both  occasions,  and 
the  congregation  was  deeply  impressed,  as  well  with  the 
grateful  recollection  of  the  services  of  those  who  had 
departed,  of  him  who  was  about  to  leave  them,  and  of 
respect  for  their  new  Prelate." 

Few  situations  could  be  more  difficult  or  embarrassing 
than  that  of  the  newly  consecrated  Bishop  of  Boston. 
On  the  withdrawal  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Taylor,  who  was 


394  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

fully  acquainted  with  the  history,  wants,  prospects,  and 
condition  of  the  diocese,  he  was  left  to  his  own  resources  ; 
among  strangers,  and  in  a  community  educated  with 
many  prejudices  against  his  religion  and  his  office ;  and 
with  only  two  priests,  the  Rev.  P.  Byrne,  of  Boston,  and 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Ryan,  who  was  engrossed  with  the  cares 
and  labors  of  .a  large  congregation  several  hundred  miles 
distant.  The  diocese  extended  over  the  whole  of  New 
England.  At  that  time  there  were,  besides  his  own 
Episcopal  Church  of  the  Holy  Cross,  but  three  Catho- 
lic churches  in  New  England  fit  for  divine  service. 
These  were  St.  Augustine's,  in  south  Boston ;  St.  Patrick's, 
in  New  Castle,  Maine,  of  which  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ryan  was 
pastor;  and  a  small  church  in  Claremont,  New  Hamp- 
shire, which  was  now  confided  to  the  care  of  Father 
Barber.  Bishop  Fenwick  was  also  without  means  or 
resources.  His  flock  was  scattered  over  this  vast  diocese; 
and  while  ministers  were  not  at  hand  to  attend  to  the 
many  and  distant  calls  which  would  certainly  be  made 
for  spiritual  attendance  on  the  sick  and  dying,  the  good 
Bishop  saw  but  little  prospect  of  adding  to  their  num- 
ber. Entering  as  he  did  upon  his  office  under  such  dis- 
heartening circumstances,  the  Bishop's  usual  cheerfulness 
and  courage  sustained  him  in  the  undertaking;  and, 
although  he  had  near  him  not  a  single  person  whom  he 
had  known  before,  and  not  a  single  confidential  friend,  he 
felt  with  his  Divine  Master  that,  in  the  soul  and  spirit  of 
faith  and  charity,  he  knew  his  flock  and  his  flock  knew 
him.  He  felt  that  God,  who  had  placed  him  in  such  a 
position,  would  supply  him  with  all  the  necessary  graces, 
aids,  and  means  of  discharging  its  duties ;  that  it  was 
God's  work  he  was  engaged  in,  and  God  would  surely 
take  care  of  His  own.  With  the  zeal  and  courage  of  one 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  D.D.    395 

strong  in  faith  and  hope,  he  went  about  his  work,  and 
the  results  are  exhibited  in  the  monuments  of  Christian 
progress  displayed  in  the  history  of  religion  in  New 
England. 

His  first  care  was  the  religious  education  of  the  Catho- 
lic children  of  Boston,  many  of  whom,  for  want  of  pas- 
tors to  look  after  them,  had  strayed  from  the  flock ;  some 
became  lost  entirely  to  the  Church,  and  many  others 
were  in  imminent  danger  of  falling  into  the  same  fatal 
path.  A  Sunday-school  was  at  once  established  at  the 
Cathedral  of  the  Holy  Cross,  in  which  the  Bishop  him- 
self taught  Christian  doctrine  to  the  numerous  children 
who  attended,  and  to  many  parents,  who  were  equally 
ignorant  of  their  religion  and  its  duties.  Uniting 
in  his  character  at  once  a  remarkable  simplicity  and 
grandeur  of  sentiment,  purpose,  and  habit,  Bishop  Fen- 
wick  was  peculiarly  suited  to  win  the  hearts  of  the  young 
and  innocent,  as  well  as  those  of  the  more  advanced  in 
years.  Mingled  with  these  humble  but  sacred  duties 
were  the  attendance  at  the  confessional  and  the  visita- 
tion of  the  sick  and  dying,  to  all  which  labors  he  attended 
in  person.  He  also  opened  a  day-school  for  boys  and 
girls,  in  order  that  not  only  on  Sundays,  but  also  on  all 
the  days  of  the  week,  they  might  be  under  the  care  of 
safe  guardians  and  instructors.  The  school,  on  the  day 
of  its  opening,  was  attended  by  about  one  hundred 
children,  which  number  was  afterwards  greatly  increased. 
When  the  Cathedral  of  the  Holy  Cross  was  enlarged 
by  the  Bishop,  to  become  one  of  the  most  spacious  and 
elegant  church  edifices  in  New  England  for  its  time,  his 
improvements  embraced  the  erection  of  two  large  school- 
rooms in  the  basement. 

One  of  his  earliest  steps  was  to  visit  the  Ursuline  Con- 


396  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

vent,  established  by  the  illustrious  Cheverus,  for  the  edu- 
cation of  girls.  He  found  the  good  Sisters  in  narrow, 
unhealthy,  and  uncomfortable  quarters,  where,  in  the  true 
spirit  of  religion  and  of  their  Order,  they  were  uncom- 
plainingly and  zealously  prosecuting  their  holy  work,  and 
sacrificing  their  lives  by  slow  degrees  to  the  spiritual  life 
of  others.  The  Bishop  took  immediate  steps  to  secure 
for  them  suitable  accommodations.  He  purchased  for 
them  the  property  in  Charlestown  upon  which  the  new 
convent  was  erected,  and  which  the  grateful  Sisters  named 
"  Mount  Benedict,"  in  honor  of  their  noble  friend  and 
patron.  After  a  residence  of  six  years  and  a  half  in 
Boston,  they  were  installed  in  their  new  home  and  school, 
July  17,  1826.  By  subsequent  enlargements  of  the  build- 
ings, and  of  the  grounds  until  they  embraced  twenty  acres, 
the  Convent  and  Academy  of  Mount  Benedict  became  one 
of  the  finest  educational  institutions  of  the  country.  This 
temple  of  education  should  have  been  a  pride  to  every 
enlightened  son  of  Massachusetts,  as  a  practical  proof 
that  their  fathers  had  not  labored  in  vain  to  establish  a 
free  government.  But  alas !  who  can  gaze  upon  the 
blackened  ruins  of  Mount  Benedict,  and  then  upon  the 
proud  monument  that  casts  its  lengthened  shadow  almost 
across  those  very  ruins,  without  blushing  for  the  incon- 
sistency of  men  ? 

An  important  accession  to  the  clergy  of  the  diocese 
was  gained  in  1826,  in  the  arrival  of  two  priests  in  Bos- 
ton, the  Rev.  Charles  Ffrench  and  the  Rev.  John  Ma- 
hony.  Father  Mahony  was  stationed  at  Salem,  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  Father  Ffrench  at  Eastport,  Maine ;  the 
charge  of  the  latter  included  the  Indian  missions  of  the 
Passamaquoddies,  at  Pleasant  Point.  Thus  the  spiritual 
wants  of  the  Catholics  in  various  parts  of  the  extended 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  D.D.    397 

diocese  began  gradually  to  be  supplied  by  the  untiring 
exertions  of  the  good  Bishop.  The  pastoral  duties  for 
all  Boston,  and  for  a  considerable  range  of  country 
around  it,  were  performed  by  the  Bishop  and  one  priest, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Byrne.  "  He  had,  moreover,"  says  one  of 
his  biographers,  "  taken  into  his  house  several  young 
men  whom  he  daily  instructed  in  theology,  in  the  hope 
that  they  might  soon  take  a  part  in  the  labors  of  the 
Lord's  vineyard,  and  in  this  hope  he  was  not  disappoint- 
ed. These  students  were  to  him,  to  use  his  own  expres- 
sion, like  another  self;  he  lavished  on  them  every  care, 
his  house  was  their  home,  his  table  their  table,  his  time 
entirely  at  their  disposal,  and  they  lived  with  him  as  at 
their  father's  house,  without  having  any  expense  to  in- 
cur, receiving  lessons  in  theology  from  his  own  lips,  and 
profiting  by  his  experience  and  his  proficiency  in  all  the 
other  sciences.  His  knowledge  of  the  human  heart  and 
his  experience  were  second  to  no  man's.  As  his  duties 
became  more  numerous,  he  sent  his  students  abroad  ;  and 
the  Seminaries  of  Rome,  Paris,  Montreal,  Baltimore, 
Emmittsburg,  and  Worcester,  will  bear  witness  to  his 
zeal  for  the  education  of  the  clerical  youth  he  had  sent 
thither."* 

The  visitation  of  so  extensive  a  diocese  was  an  arduous 
task,  particularly  in  those  days,  when  the  modern  conve- 
niences for  travel  had  not  been  introduced ;  but  it  was  a 
duty  which  he  was  zealous  and  punctual  in  performing. 
One  of  his  first  visitations,  and  the  very  first  he  made  out 
of  Massachusetts,  was  made  to  Claremont,  New  Hamp- 
shire, where  tjie  Rev.  Mr.  Barber,  who  had  formerly 
been  the  Episcopal  minister  of  the  same  place,  was  the 
pastor  of  the  small  Catholic  church  erected  by  himself. 

*   Catholic  Almanac  for  1850,  p.  65. 


398  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

Here  the  Bishop  administered  confirmation  to  twenty-one 
persons,  most  of  whom  were  converts;  and  his  sermons 
were  attended  by  the  entire  population  of  the  town, 
who  deserted  their  own  place  of  meeting  to  hear  him. 
He  next  visited  the  interesting-  mission  of  Father 
Ffrench,  at  Eastport,  which  then  required  a  sea- voyage 
of  five  days  to  reach  it  from  Boston.  To  one  of  his 
generous  nature  and  paternal  heart  this  visit  to  the  un- 
tutored sons  of  the  forest  was  a  source  of  great  consola- 
tion and  deep  interest.  The  Passamaquoddies  of  Maine 
were  the  remnants  of  the  once  powerful  Abenakis,  whose 
conversion  to  Christianity  in  the  early  part  of  the  seven- 
teenth century  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  chapters  in 
the  Catholic  missionary  history  of  our  country,  and  a 
convincing  proof  that  if  the  white  race,  at  the  beginning 
and  throughout  the  whole  of  the  period  of  European  dis- 
covery and  colonization,  had  resorted  more  to  the  cross 
and  the  sacraments,  and  less  to  the  sword  and  the  fire- 
lock, the  aborigines  of  America  would  have  easily  yielded 
to  the  Christian  faith,  and  would  have  become  blended 
with,  rather  than  exterminated  by,  their  white  neighbors. 
It  was  this  simple  but  earnest  flock,  whose  ancestors  had 
gathered  around  the  saintly  and  martyred  Father  Rale, 
whose  relics  remained  in  their  midst,  and  whose  name 
they  have  never  ceased  to  venerate.  "  They  no  longer 
retain  the  same  name  as  when  Father  Rale  labored 
among  them,  nor  do  they  possess  any  longer  the 
same  district  of  country,  or  even  the  same  village,  where 
this  bloody  scene  (the  martyrdom  of  Father  Rale) 
was  enacted.  Driven  back  by  the  encroachments  of 
the  whites  from  the  land  of  their  progenitors,  and  where 
repose  the  ashes  of  their  spiritual  father,  they  are  now 
divided  into  three  distinct  tribes,  of  about  four  hundred 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  D.D.    399 

and  fifty  souls  each,  exclusive  of  the  tribe  in  New 
Brunswick,  and  are  confined  to  a  limited  territory,  which 
has  been  guaranteed  to  them  and  their  posterity  by  the 
State,  and  which  by  treaty  they  have  consented  to  take 
in  lieu  of  that  immense  tract  of  country  owned  by  their 
predecessors,  the  Abenakis  nation.  But  their  faith, 
cemented  by  the  blood  of  their  apostle,  they  have 
always  retained.  In  the  church  erected  in  each  of  the 
villages  where  they  abide  they  assemble  every  Sunday, 
with  or  without  a  priest,  according  as  they  may  be  pro 
vided  or  unprovided :  here  they  chant  the  divine  service 
partly  in  Latin  and  partly  in  their  mother-tongue,  and 
perform  their  own  prayers.  The  children  are  carefully 
instructed  by  their  parents  in  the  great  truths  of  religion 
at  an  early  age,  and  nothing  is  more  common  than  to 
see  them,  at  the  age  of  eight  or  ten,  leave  on  a  sudden 
their  childish  amusements  and  retire  for  awhile  to  the 
church  to  offer  up  their  prayers  to  God  and  invoke  His 
blessing.  In  the  absence  of  a  priest,  it  has  frequently 
happened  that  ministers  of  other  denominations  would 
pay  them  a  visit,  in  the  hope  of  seducing  them  from  the 
faith,  and  instilling  into  their  minds  their  own  various 
errors ;  but  their  efforts  have  always  proved  abortive. 
The  invariable  answer  of  the  Indians  has  been:  'We 
know  our  religion,  and  cherish  it ;  we  know  nothing  of 
you  or  of  yours.' ' 

It  was  during  the  time  of  Father  Charles  Ffrench, 
and  before  the  visit  of  Bishop  Fenwick,  that  the 
State  of  Maine,  acting  probably  at  the  instance  of 
a  missionary  society  of  Massachusetts,  sent  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Kellogg  as  missionary  and  teacher  among  these 
Catholic  Indians.  No  converts  were  made,  and  at 
the  time  of  Bishop  Fenwick's  visit  to  them,  in  1827, 


400  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

not  one  of  Mr.  Kellogg' s  pupils  could  spell  a  word 
of  two  syllables. 

The  Bishop  was  received  with  unbounded  joy  and  en- 
thusiasm by  this  portion  of  his  flock  ;  was  conducted  in 
procession  to  the  church,  preceded  by  the  red-cross  ban- 
ner of  the  tribe,  similar  to  the  one  their  fathers  had 
waved  over  Father  Rale,  as  he  fell  at  the  foot  of  the 
cross,  penetrated  with  balls;  and  as  the  Bishop  ap- 
proached and  entered  the  church,  the  air  was  rent  with 
salutes  of  firearms.  During  his  stay  with  them  the 
Bishop  was  engaged  in  the  most  active  missionary  la- 
bors, such  as  instructing  the  ignorant,  hearing  confes- 
sions, baptizing,  and  purifying  the  graves  of  the  dead 
who  had  been  buried  without  the  attendance  of  a  priest. 
The  career  of  Mr.  Kellogg  was  arrested,  and  measures 
taken  to  supply  them  with  a  resident  missionary.  At 
Eastport  Bishop  Fenwick  marked  out  a  site  for  a  new 
church,  and,  at  the  invitation  of  the  authorities  of  the 
town,  preached  a  sermon,  which  was  listened  to  by  an 
immense  concourse  of  people.  He  then  went  in  search 
of  some  Irish  Catholics  living  at  Belfast,  whom  he  found 
suffering  both  for  the  necessaries  of  life  and  for  the  sus- 
tenance of  the  soul.  He  relieved  both  their  temporal 
and  spiritual  wants,  and,  imparting  his  blessing  and  some 
wholesome  advice,  he  proceeded  to  visit  the  Indians  of 
Old  Town,  where  he  went  through  the  same  labors  of 
preaching,  baptizing,  and  confirmation.  He  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Bangor,  Damariscotta,  New  Castle,  White- 
field,  and  Portland,  where  the  performance  of  the  same 
duties  awaited  him.  After  visiting  Saco,  at  the  invita- 
tion of  Dr.  Greene,  a  zealous  and  noble-hearted  convert, 
he  returned  to  Boston,  after  an  absence  of  five  weeks. 

In  1831,  when  the  Bishop  repeated  his  visit  to  the  In- 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  D.D.    401 

dians,  the  resident  missionary,  whom  he  had  obtained 
from  the  Association  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith, 
was  among  the  Penobscots,  and  had  accomplished  much 
good  ;  a  pretty  church,  with  its  graceful  steeple,  had  suc- 
ceeded to  the  hut  of  Father  Romagne;  the  huts  of  the 
Indians  were  superseded  by  neatly  painted  cottages,  and 
all  things  around  looked  thrifty  and  comfortable.  After 
administering  the  Sacrament  of  Confirmation,  the  Bishop 
consecrated  the  new  Church  of  St.  Anne,  patroness  of 
the  tribe.  "  During  this  visit  the  Bishop,  himself  a  mem- 
ber of  the  same  society  as  the  illustrious  Rale,  purchased 
the  site  of  the  old  church  of  the  martyred  priest,  and 
prepared  to  erect  a  monument  to  his  memory.  For  this 
he  chose  the  anniversary  of  his  death,  and  invited  the 
Abenakis  of  the  Penobscot  and  Passamaqubddy  to  meet 
there  on  the  29th  of  August,  1833,  one  hundred  and 
nine  years  after  the  massacre  at  Norridgewalk.  The 
village  had  disappeared,  and  the  spot  itself  was  now  de- 
serted. For  a  mile  along  the  river  lay  a  beautiful  and 
lovely  plain,  where  the  site  of  the  grave,  never  forgotten 
by  the  Indians,  was  easily  found.  Bishop  Fenwick  re- 
paired to  the  hallowed  spot  at  the  appointed  day ;  the 
Abenakis  of  the  Penobscot  and  Passamaquoddy  came 
with  their  pastor ;  those  of  St.  Francis  de  Sales  were 
also  there.  An  altar  was  raised  in  a  little  grove,  and 
Mass  begun,  the  Indians  chanting  as  of  old  the  tradi- 
tional Masses  of  the  mission;  but  so  great  and  so  curious 
was  the  crowd,  that  it  was  found  impossible  to  continue 
the  service:  the  Bishop  then  rose  and  addressed  the  as- 
sembly, extending  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  on  either 
side.  Quiet  now  prevailed  within  reach  of  his  voice, 
and,  after  an  address  of  an  hour,  he  ordered  the  shaft 
of  the  monument  to  be  raised  on  the  pedestal. 
26 


Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

"This  monument  of  our  old  missions  is  twenty  feet 
high,  the  shaft  being  a  single  block  of  granite,  sur- 
mounted by  a  cross.  On  the  base  a  Latin  inscription 
tells  the  traveller  that  that  lonely  spot  was  once  the  site 
of  a  house  of  God  in  a  Christian  village;  that  the  pastor 
was  slain  and  the  flock  dispersed." 

The  old  church  at  Charlestown  being  insufficient  to 
accommodate  the  congregation,  many  of  whom  had  to 
kneel  upon  the  sidewalk  and  street  to  hear  Mass,  the 
Bishop  laid  the  corner-stone  of  a  new  church,  with  im- 
posing ceremonies,  October  15,  1828.  The  following 
allusion  to  this  event,  published  in  the  Boston  Gazette, 
will  show  how  completely  the  manly  bearing  and  the 
apostolic  and  holy  life  of  Bishop  Fenwick  had  won  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  a  Protestant  community: — 
"The  corner-stone  of  a  new  Catholic  church  will  this 
day  be  laid  in  Charlestown,  near  Craigie's  Point,  by  the 
Right  Rev.  Bishop  Fenwick.  This  church  is  the  sixth 
which  has  been  established  through  the  activity  and  in- 
fluence of  that  intelligent  clergyman  within  the  limits  of 
his  diocese  since  he  succeeded  to  the  place  of  Bishop 
Cheverus.  It  is  designed  to  accommodate  the  Catholics 
of  Craigie's  Point  and  Charlestown,  who  are  said  to  be 
numerous.  It  will  have  the  effect  of  extending  the  ex- 
cellent moral  power  which  is  exerted  over  the  Catholic 
emigrants  from  Ireland  by  the  head  of  their  Church  in 
Boston,  to  those  whose  distant  residence  makes  frequent 
visitations  difficult,  by  the  means  of  subordinate  priests, 
and  more  easy  access  to  the  forms  of  public  worship 
which  their  peculiar  faith  has  taught  them  to  prefer. 

*  De  Courcy  and  Shea's  Hist.  Cath.  Missions.  This  monument  was  subsequently 
mutilated  by  some  ruffian  hands,  but  the  respectable  portion  of  the  Protestant  com- 
munity repaired  the  injury  and  effaced  the  disgrace. 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  D.D.    403 

Thus  by  our  universal  toleration  we  are  enabled  to  trans- 
form into  useful  and  happy  citizens  those,  whom  the  nar- 
row and  tyrannical  prejudices  which  prevail  over  the 
destinies  of  Ireland  have  driven  from  their  native  land. 
So  long  as  the  efforts  of  the  Catholic  clergy  shall  pro- 
duce such  results  as  they  have  done  heretofore,  and  as 
they  are  now  producing,  we  shall  rejoice  in  the  increase 

of  their  churches Bishop  Fenwick  deserves 

particular  praise  for  the  manner  in  which  he  has  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  his  office  throughout  the  whole  of 
his  course.  His  exertions  have  not  been  confined  to  the 
neighborhood  of  this  city.  The  remains  of  the  Penob- 
scot  and  Passamaquoddy  tribes  of  Indians  have  been 
the  objects  of  his  care.  He  has  visited  them,  endeavored 
to  improve  and  regulate  their  schools,  ancl  to  increase 
their  comforts.  He  has  striven  to  induce  them  to  make 
such  change  in  their  dress  and  mode  of  living  as  may 
lead  to  greater  cleanliness  and  good  order.  There  is 
hope  that  his  labors  will  be  crowned  with  a  success 
which  may  encourage  their  continuance." 

New  churches  were  also  erected  about  the  same  time 
at  Eastport;  Orono,  on  the  Penobscot  River;  Portland; 
Dover, New  Hampshire;  Newport;  Saco;  Hartford;  and 
Pawtucket,  Rhode  Island.  The  rapid  succession  with 
which  these  churches  rose  is  a  practical  proof  of  the 
unbounded  zeal  of  the  Bishop,  of  the  great  increase  of 
Catholics,  and  of  the  permanent  progress  of  the  faith  in 
New  England  in  his  time. 

Bishop  Fenwick  having  struggled  so  long  alone,  and 
with  no  aid  but  his  own  energies  and  the  limited  resources 
of  his  poor  and  sparsely  populated  diocese,  had  been  for 
some  time  anxious  that  all  the  Bishops  of  the  American 
Church  should  assemble  in  Provincial  Council,  in  order 


404  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

that  the  combined  efforts  of  all  might  unite  in  building 
up  the  separate  dioceses  of  each.  He  warmly  seconded 
the  views  of  Bishop  England,  of  Charleston,  on  this  sub- 
ject; and  Archbishop  Whitfield,  with  his  enlightened 
judgment,  earnestly  gave  his  approbation  to  a  measure 
so  fraught  with  the  interests  of  religion  in  the  United 
States.  Accordingly,  at  the  call  of  this  distinguished 
Prelate,  the  Bishops  of  the  American  church  assembled 
at  Baltimore  in  their  First  Provincial  Council,  in  October, 
1829.  Bishop  Fenwick  attended,  and  took  an  earnest 
and  active  part  in  its  important  deliberations,  and  in  the 
enactment  of  the  statutes  then  adopted  for  the  general 
regulation  of  the  ecclesiastical  interests  of  the  country. 

It  was  in  the  same  year  that  the  good  Bishop  sustained 
a  sad  bereavement  in  the  death  of  his  venerable  mother, 
in  his  devotion  towards  whom  through  life  he  had  always 
set  a  remarkable  and  beautiful  example  of  filial  affection 
and  duty,  well  worthy  of  the  imitation  of  all  sons.  He 
left  for  the  time  the  immense  labors  and  duties  of  his  vast 
diocese,  to  gratify  the  wish  of  his  dying  parent  that  he 
would  visit  her  before  her  death,  and  hastened  to  console 
her  last  moments  on  earth.  But  let  this  noble  son  speak 
for  himself  those  touching  sentiments,  recorded  fortunately 
in  his  diary,  as  an  example  for  others : — "  May  i8th.  The 
Bishop,  on  receiving  the  sad  intelligence  of  the  illness  of 
his  mother,  a  mother  to  whom  he  is  so  fondly  attached, 
and  to  whom  he  owes  so  much,  determines  to  depart,  to 
gratify  her  dying  request.  May  God  in  His  great  mercy 
yet  spare  her.  May  i9th.  The  Bishop  is  busily  engaged 
in  making  preparations  for  his  departure, — regulating  the 
duties  of  the  clergy  during  his  absence  for  the  churches 
of  Boston  and  Charlestown,  and  settling  some  of  the  ac- 
counts of  the  workmen  employed  in  building  the  wings 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  D.D.    405 

of  the  Convent.  May  2Oth.  The  Bishop  sets  out  for 
Georgetown,  D.  C.,  the  residence  of  his  mother.  May 
24th.  Celebrates  Mass  at  the  Cathedral,  Baltimore,  and 
then  takes  passage  in  the  stage  for  Georgetown.  As  he 
leaves  the  house,  he  meets  an  elderly  lady  from  George- 
town, who  gives  him  the  first  information  of  the  death 
of  his  poor,  dear  mother,  which  took  place  on  Sunday, 
1 7th  May,  two  days  previous  to  his  departure  from  Bos 
ton.  The  Bishop  grieves  exceedingly  -f  he  hesitates 
some  time  whether  he  shall  proceed  on  to  Georgetown 
or  return  to  Boston ;  finally  concludes  on  proceeding. 
Poor,  dear  mother,  she  was  so  desirous  of  seeing  the 
Bishop  before  her  death.  The  will  of  God  be  done. 
May  25th.  Arrives  at  Georgetown  College;  the  gentle- 
men of  the  College  receive  him  with  open  arms.  The 
Bishop  owes  them  every  gratitude  for  the  kindness  they 
always  showed  to  his  dear  mother  during  her  residence 
in  Georgetown." 

On  the  night  of  the  nth  of  August,  1834,  an  event 
occurred  in  Charlestown,  under  the  paternal  and  sorrow- 
ful eye  of  Bishop  Fenwick,  and  within  the  sound  of  a 
bell  from  Faneuil  Hall  and  Bunker  Hill,  which  no  one 
could  have  supposed  was  a  possible  occurrence  in  this  or 
in  any  civilized  and  Christian  country  ;  the  perpetration 
of  which  is,  if  possible,  a  less  surprise  than  the  impunity 
extended  to  the  crime  and  the  applause  which  it  elicited 
from  many.  This  event  was  the  attack  upon  the  Ursu- 
line  Convent,  the  home  of  innocent  and  defenceless 
women,  its  sacking  and  destruction  by  fire  at  the  dead 
hour  of  night, — fire  applied  by  human  hands, — rwhile  its 
helpless  inmates  fled  before  the  flames  that  consumed 
their  residence.  The  truth  of  history  requires  that  this 
deep  disgrace  should  be  recorded ;  but  it  is  too  painful  to 


406  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

recount  in  detail  the  horrors  and  sufferings  of  that  night. 
Our  account  of  it  will  be  limited  to  the  statements,  briefly, 
of  a  few  facts :  First,  that  the  public  excitement,  that  led 
to  the  outrage,  was  brewing  openly  for  several  days  before 
the  occurrence.  Secondly,  that  a  committee,  appointed 
for  that  purpose,  visited  the  Convent  a  day  or  two 
before,  and  reported  that  the  rumors  to  its  disparage- 
ment were  utterly  unfounded.  Thirdly,  that  notwithstand- 
ing these  facts/  and  that  the  authorities  had  timely  notice 
of  the  intended  outrage,  nothing  was  done  to  protect  the 
Convent  from  the  threatened  violence.  Fourthly,  while 
the  outrage  was  being  perpetrated,  no  hand,  public  or 
private,  was  raised  to  arrest  the  work  or  protect  those 
ladies  and  children.  Fifthly,  that  a  committee,  appointed 
at  Faneuil  Hall  to  investigate  the  whole  case,  reported 
unqualifiedly  in  favor  of  the  innocence  and  public  and 
private  worth  of  the  ladies  of  the  institution.  Sixthly, 
that  the  ringleaders  in  the  outrage  were  acquitted  by  the 
courts  of  Massachusetts.  Seventhly,  that,  although  the 
subject  was  more  than  once  before  the  Legislature  of  the 
State,  no  compensation  or  reparation  has  been  given  to 
the  sufferers.  Eighthly,  the  blackened  ruins  of  the  Con- 
vent of  Mount  Benedict  remain  to  this  day  to  attest  these 
facts.  The  following  entry  in  Bishop  Fenwick's  diary  of 
1835,  alludes  to  the  acquittal  of  the  guilty  parties: — 
"  June  gth.  The  Bishop  has  just  been  informed  that  the 
Convent  rioters,  who  had  been  put  on  their  trial  on  the 
nth  instant,  have  all  been  acquitted.  Great  rejoicing  in 
Charlestown  on  Saturday  among  the  mob  in  consequence 
of  their  acquittal.  Fifty  guns  were  fired  on  the  occa- 
sion !  Thus  iniquity  has  prevailed  at  last."  An  entry  in 
the  same  diary,  made  three  months  after  the  destruction 
of  the  Convent,  informs  us  of  the  sorrows  through  which 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick.         407 

the  good  Bishop  passed  in  the  preceding  nine  years,  and 
no  doubt  this  outrage  upon  the  most  innocent  and  help- 
less of  his  flock  was  one  of  his  greatest  sorrows:  "Nov. 
ist,  All  Saints.  The  day  of  the  Bishop's  consecration, 
nine  years  ago.  How  many  heart-felt  pangs  experienced 
within  that  period,  and  especially  during  the  last  year. 
How  many  reverses.  How  many  narrow  escapes  from 
even  death.  How  many  afflictions,  calamities  of  so  many 
kinds !  Well,  thanks,  honor,  and  glory  be  to  God ! " 

In  1843,  Bishop  Fenwick  founded  the  College  of  the 
Holy  Cross,  on  the  heights  of  Worcester,  Massachu- 
setts. The  land  consisted  of  ninety-six  acres,  purchased 
by  him,  upon  which  suitable  buildings  were  erected  to 
accommodate  teachers  and  students,  and  the  whole  was 
presented  by  the  Bishop  to  the  Fathers  of  the  Society 
of  Jesus,  who  sent  a  colony  from  Georgetown  College 
to  conduct  the  institution.  The  college  has  not  succeeded 
in  obtaining  from  the  State  of  Massachusetts  a  charter 
or  the  faculty  of  conferring  degrees. 

The  Right  Rev.  Bishop  Fitzpatrick  was  appointed 
coadjutor  to 'Bishop  Fenwick,  and  thenceforth  shared 
with  him  the  more  active  and  laborious  duties  of  his  vast 
diocese.  The  erection  of  new  churches,  the  work  of 
providing  more  priests  for  the  increasing  number  of  the 
Catholics  of  the  diocese,  and  the  regulation  of  the  gen- 
eral interests  of  religion  in  New  England,  constituted 
the  principal  occupations  of  Bishop  Fenwick  and  his 
coadjutor  during  these  intervening  years.  "Since  the 
time  he  first  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  See,"  says 
an  obituary  notice  of  him,  "  what  changes  have  not  oc- 
rurred  in  the  Catholic  character  of  the  diocese  of  Bos- 
ton? On  taking  possession  of  his  diocese,  the  Right 
Rev.  Dr.  Fenwick  had  under  his  spiritual  jurisdiction 


408  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

but  two  churches  and  two  priests.  He  has  left  behind 
him  one  of  the  most  flourishing  dioceses  in  the  United 
States.  About  fifty  churches,  and  as  many  clergymen, 
a  flourishing  college,  an  orphan  asylum,  numerous  Catho- 
lic schools,  besides  establishing  a  new  bishopric  out  of 
that  portion  of  the  diocese  consisting  of  the  States  of 
Connecticut  and  Rho4e  Island.  '  These  are  in  truth,'  in 
the  language  of  the  Boston  Pilot,  'imperishable  monu- 
ments of  the  energy  and  greatness  of  his  mind.' " 

The  following  notice  of  his  character  and  death  is 
from  the  Catholic  Almanac  of  1850: — '"He  was  es- 
pecially the  father  of  the  poor.'  He  gave  everything 
he  had,  even  the  very  considerable  estate  he  had  inherit- 
ed, and,  if  all  were  not  amply  provided  for,  it  was  only 
because  his  purse  was  not  so  large  as  his  heart.  He 
carried  his  kindness  and  paternal  love  even  to  those  who 
did  not  always  make  a  suitable  return ;  and  possessed 
pre-eminently  the  power  of  rendering  good  for  evil.  No 
ingratitude  ever  discouraged  him  ;  no  unworthy  recipients 
of  his  bounty  ever  induced  him  to  abandon  or  reproach 
them.  If,  as  rarely  happened,  some  rude  or  violent  mem- 
ber of  his  flock  forgot  what  was  due  to  their  father,  he 
felt  no  resentment,  but  melted  in  compassion  for  the 
offender.  All  who  had  any  real  or  fancied  grievances 
were  permitted  to  tell  their  story  in  their  own  way,  were 
listened  to  with  patience,  and  dismissed  with  gentleness 
and  the  paternal  blessing.  Yet  his  remarkable  patience 
and  gentleness,  so  obvious  to  all  who  were  in  the  way 
of  observing  his  intercourse  with  all  sorts  of  people, 
were  the  work  of  grace ;  for  he  was  inclined  to  think  he 
was  naturally  somewhat  impatient  and  irascible.  This 
trait  in  his  character  was  therefore  all  the  more  beauti- 
ful, for  it  proved  the  victory  of  grace  over  nature.  The 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  D  D.    409 

victory  was   complete;  if  nature   showed  sometimes  a 
disposition   to  rebel,  she  was  instantly  suppressed,  and 
nothing  was  seen  but  the  meekness,  gentleness,  and  for- 
bearance of  divine  grace. 

"  Bishop  Fenwick's  consideration  for  the  feelings  of 
others  was  another  beautiful  trait  in  his  character.     He 
could  not  bear  to  give  the  least  pain  to  another,  and  he 
studied  to  hide  his  excessive  tenderness  under  an  affecta- 
tion of  harshness  and  severity,  which,   however,   only 
made  it  the  more  apparent.     He  delighted  to  have  his 
children,   especially   his    clergy,   around    him,   and   was 
never  happier  than  when  they  shared  freely  his  bound- 
less hospitality.     Nothing  could  be  more  delightful  than 
to  mark  his  kindness  to  them,  and  their  love  and  venera- 
tion for  him.     Nothing  was  constrained ;    nothing  was 
cold  or  distant.     It  was  truly  the  reunion  of  the  father 
and  his  children.          ..... 

He  ever  studied  to  make  others  happy,  and  his  joy 
was  always  to  see  himself  surrounded  by  glad  hearts 
and  smiling  faces.  He  had  had  his  trials, — and  trials  of 
no  ordinary  severity ;  he  had  met  with  many  things  in 
the  administration  of  his  diocese  to  grieve  his  paternal 
heart ;  but  he  never  permitted  his  own  afflictions  tc 
cloud  his  brow  or  that  of  another.  With  him  all  was 
smooth  and  sunny,  and  you  would  have  imagined  that 
he  was  free  from  all  solicitude,  and  that  no  care  ever  op- 
pressed him.  This  trait  in  his  character  was  strikingly 
displayed  all  through  his  long  and  painful  illness.  He 
had  naturally  a  vigorous  constitution,  and  had  always 
enjoyed  robust  health.  In  1844  he  assured  us  that  he 
knew  sickness  only  by  seeing  it  in  others.  When,  there- 
fore, he  was  taken  down  with  disease,  we  all  felt,  and  he 
himself  must  have  felt,  that  it  would  most  likely  go  hard 


4io  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

with  him,  and  that  his  recovery  was  at  best  extremely 
doubtful.  But  his  habitual  cheerfulness  never  for  a 
moment  deserted  him.  He  knew  how  much  we  all 
loved  him,  and  how  painful  it  would  be  to  his  flock  to 
feel  that  he  was  suffering,  and  that  there  was  danger 
that  he  would  be  removed  from  them;  and  he  made 
light  of  his  disease,  continued  as  playful  as  ever,  com- 
pelling us  to  forget,  when  with  him,  that  he  was  ill  and 
dying.  He  rarely  alluded  to  his  illness ;  answered  to 
our  inquiries  that  he  was  well,  or  very  nearly  well; 
talked  of  matters  and  things  in  general,  and  of  his  plans 
for  the  Church,  for  his  people,  as  if  nothing  ailed  him, 
and  really  made  one  feel  that  his  sufferings  were  but 
trifling.  He  would  have  no  one  afflicted  on  his  account ; 
and  up  to  the  Saturday  previous  to  his  death,  sat  in  his 
usual  place,  talked  in  his  usual  lively  and  brilliant  strain, 
and  the  stranger  admitted  to  his  table  would  not  have 
dreamed  that  he  was  not  in  his  usual  health.  And  yet 
none  of  this  time  was  he  free  from  suffering. 

"  The  day  before  the  Bishop's  death  an  extraordinary 
mark  of  respect  and  esteem  for  him  was  given  by  the 
city  authorities.  An  application  was  made  to  spread  tan 
over  Federal  street,  a  thoroughfare  for  heavy  teams. 
The  Mayor,  Josiah  Quincy,  Jr.,  not  only  granted  this, 
but,  unsolicited,  ordered  the  avenue  around  the  house  to 
be  barricaded,  to  prevent  the  passage  of  carts.  The 
City  Marshall,  F.  Tukey,  was  seen  busy  carrying  on  his 
shoulders  large  beams  to  execute  the  order.  On  the 
night  of  the  loth  August,  1846,  the  Rt.  Rev.  Coadjutor 
gave  him  the  last  indulgence  in  articulo.  He  was  per- 
fectly sensible  during  the  ceremony ;  he  kept  his  full  con- 
sciousness and  activity,  and  followed  every  word  with 
marks  of  great  piety  and  consoling  peace  of  mind.  A 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  D.D.    411 

circumstance  deserves  to  be  mentioned  indicative  of  his 
tender  love  for  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary.  He  had  been 
in  the  habit  of  performing  daily  devotions  in  her  honor, 
which  he  never  forgot  to  have  done  for  him  by  another 
by  his  side.  The  person  who  had  charge  of  this  office 
omitted  three  Aves,  which  he  said  daily,  to  make  atone- 
ment for  the  blasphemies  uttered  by  unbelievers  against 
the  Mother  of  God.  Although  apparently  unconscious 
of  all  things  else  around  him,  he  perceived  this  omission, 
and  required  the  three  Aves  to  be  said. 

"  During  the  night  he  spoke  several  times,  always 
with  calmness,  and  even  with  that  cheerful  playfulness 
so  remarkable  in  his  character.  The  last  words  uttered 
in  a  distinct  tone  of  voice  were  in  reply  to  his  Coadjutor, 
who,  while  reading  the  prayers  for  the  agonizing,  in- 
quired whether  he  heard  and  understood.  '  Yes,  per- 
fectly,' replied  he  with  an  effort,  but  in  a  distinct  tone, 
audible  to  all  around.  He  remained  in  constant  prayer 
afterwards,  as  was  evident  from  the  motion  of  his  lips 
and  his  endeavors  to  repeat  the  short  aspirations  sug- 
gested to  him,  and  some  few  of  the  words  could  be 
heard  falling  in  a  whisper  half-formed  from  his  lips. 
The  last  words,  six  or  eight  minutes  before  his  death, 
were,  'In  te  Domine,  speravi,  non  confundar  in  eter- 
num*  Almost  immediately  afterwards  the  death-blow 
was  struck:  he  started  suddenly  forward  in  his  chair, 
stretched  slightly  his  arms  towards  his  Coadjutor,  who 
stood  before  him,  and  his  eyes  seemed  to  ask  something 
most  earnestly.  The  Coadjutor  Bishop  gave  him  a  last 
absolution,  and  again  the  indulgence  in  articulo,  and  in 
less  than  one  minute  afterwards  he  breathed  his  last, 
saying  Amen  to  the  form  of  absolution  ;  he  died  sitting 
in  his  arm-chair.  For  the  last  eight  months  a  chair  had 


412  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

been  his  only  resting-place  by  night  and  by  day,  nor 
had  he  been  able  to  lie  down  for  a  single  instant. 

"  His  death  took  place  on  the  nth  of  August,  1846,  in 
the  65th  year  of  his  age.  During  his  whole  illness, 
Bishop  Fitzpatrick  and  the  good  Sisters  of  Charity 
watched  over  him  with  the  devotedness  and  affection  of 
children.  As  soon  as  his  death  was  announced  by  the 
mournful  tolling  of  the  Cathedral  bell,  the  streets  adjoin- 
ing the  Cathedral  were  thronged  with  an  immense  crowd, 
anxious  once  more  to  gaze  upon  the  features  of  their 
father.  The  distinction  between  Catholics  and  Protest- 
ants seemed  to  be  effaced,  for  all  flocked  with  equal 
manifestations  of  veneration  and  love  to  view  his  remains, 
and  on  no  countenance  was  seen  the  vacant  stare  of 
curiosity.  Till  late  at  night  a  full  and  constant  stream  of 
people  moved  through  the  church  in  mournful  silence, 
which  was  interrupted  only  by  the  sobs  of  his  bereaved 
flock,  who  knelt  and  reverentially  kissed  his  feet  as  they 
passed  before  him." 

The  funeral  services  of  the  distinguished  Prelate  were 
performed  with  the  most  solemn  rites  of  the  Church, 
and  were  attended  by  prelates,  priests,  and  laity  of  all 
denominations  in  immense  numbers.  As  the  procession 
passed  through  the  streets  of  Boston,  chanting  the 
Miserere  and  other  hymns,  every  head  was  uncovered, 
and  the  most  profound  respect  shown  by  all.  His  re- 
mains were  interred  at  his  cherished  College  of  the  Holy 
Cross. 

The  following  beautiful  words,  written  of  him  by  Dr. 
Brownson,  are  selected  from  numerous  eulogies :  "  Take 
him  all  in  all,  he  was  such  a  man  as  heaven  seldom 
vouchsafes  us.  It  will  be  long  before  we  look'  on  his 
like  again,  but  he  has  been  ours;  he  has  left  his  light 


Right  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  D.D.    413 

along  our  pathway ;  he  has  blessed  us  all  by  his  pure 
example  and  his  labor  of  love,  and  we  are  thankful.  We 
bless  God  that  He  gave  him  to  us ;  we  bless  God  that 
He  has  seen  fit  to  remove  him  from  his  labors  to  his 
rest." 


RIGHT  REV.  JOHN   DUBOIS,  D.D., 

Second  Bishop  of  New  York,  A.D.  1826.* 

BISHOP  DUBOIS  justly  ranks  in  the  ecclesiastical  history 
of  this  country  as  one  of  the  patriarchs  of  the  American 
Church.  His  labors  were  of  the  most  extensive  and 
useful  kind.  If  Mt.  St.  Mary's  College,  of  which  he 
was  the  founder  and  president,  has  well  merited  the 
honored  title  of  "  Mother  of  Bishops,"  Dr.  Dubois  has 
won  by  a  similar  claim  that  of  the  teacher  of  Bishops. 
Tradition  has  handed  down  his  great  virtues  and  noble 
qualities  of  mind  and  heart ;  institutions  of  learning  and 
piety,  houses  of  charity,  and  Christian  temples  are  the 
monuments  of  his  labors  and  services. 

John  Dubois  was  born  in  Paris,  August  24,  1764.  His 
parents  were  respectable,  and  enjoyed  a  competency  of 
worldly  goods.  His  father  having  died  when  he  was 
quite  young,  his  early  training  and  education  fell  to  the 
lot  of  his  excellent  mother,  whose  only  children  were 
John  and  a  daughter.  She  scrupulously  endeavored  to 
bring  up  her  children  in  the  ways  of  piety,  rectitude,  and 
honor.  This  good  mother  lived  many  years  to  rejoice 
in  her  noble  son's  usefulness  and  greatness.  Bishop 
Brute  saw  her  in  Paris  in  1813,  and  speaks  of  her  as  "a 
venerable  woman,  over  eighty  years  of  age,  with  a 
heart  full  of  tenderness  and  mind  still  strong,  even  at 

*  Authorities :  Discourse  on  Bishop  Dubois,  by  Very  Rev.  Dr.  McCaffrey  ;  Fune- 
ral Sermon,  by  Bishop  Quarter ;  Bishop  Bayley's  Brief  Sketch,  etc. ;  De  Courcy  and 
Shea's  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States  ;  Life  of  Mother  Seton,  by  Rev.  C.  I. 
White,  D.  D.  ;  Memoir,  Letters,  and  Journal  of  Mrs.  Seton,  by  the  Right  Rev. 
Robert  Seton,  D.D.,  etc  ,  etc. 


Right  Rev.   John  Dubois,  D.D.  4(5 

that  age.  I  was  much  impressed,"  he  continues,  "  with 
her  lively  sensibility  when  I  spoke  to  her  of  her  worthy 
son."  After  receiving  the  rudiments  of  education,  he 
was  sent  to  the  College  of  Luis  le  Grand,  formerly  the 
principal  college  of  the  Jesuits,  of  which  they  had  been 
so  iniquitously  deprived.  Eminent  professors  were  still 
provided  for  it  by  the  government,  which  was  anxious 
that  its  reputation  should  not  decline  under  the  change. 
It  was  here  that  many  of  the  most  distinguished  men  of 
France  were  educated ;  and  here,  too,  our  own  Carroll  of 
Carrollton  had  been  a  student.  Among  the  preceptors 
of  Mr.  Dubois  at  this  seat  of  learning  were  the  famous 
poet,  the  Abbe  Delille,  and  the  Abbe  Proyart,  author  of 
the  life  of  Decalogne,  who  also  had  been  a  cherished 
and  saintly  alumnus  of  the  college.  Decalogne  was 
deservedly  presented,  in  his  life-portrait  by  Proyart,  as 
the  model  of  the  students ;  it  was  regarded  as  a  reward 
to  be  bestowed  only  on  the  most  meritorious  pupils  to 
be  allowed  to  occupy  the  place  of  this  proto-student  at 
the  opening  of  studies ;  young  Dubois  was  one  of  those 
that  enjoyed  this  honor,  and  it  was  a  circumstance  to 
which,  throughout  his  long  and  honored  life,  he  loved 
to  recur  with  marked  pleasure  and  gratitude.  Many 
of  his  companions  were  youths  of  eminent  piety  and 
exemplary  lives.  But  side  by  side  with  them  sat  some 
who  were  afterwards  destined  to  become  even  more 
notorious  for  their  crimes  and  atrocities.  Among 
the  latter  were  Camille  Desmoulins,  who  afterwards 
aroused  and  led  on  the  brutal  mobs  of  Paris, — and 
Robespierre,  the  blood-thirsty  monster  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. Young  Dubois  instinctively  read  the  heart  of 
the  embryo  tyrant:  "  I  shall  never  forget,"  he  used  to 
say  to  one  of  his  own  pupils  at  Emmittsburg,  "  the 


416  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

looks  and  manners  of  him,  who  afterwards  proved  such 
a  monster  of  ferocity.  He  was  unsocial,  solitary, 
gloomy ;  his  head  was  restless,  his  eyes  wandering,  and 
he  was  a  great  tyrant  towards  his  younger  and  weaker 
companions.  I  could  literally  apply  to  him  the  account 
which  St.  Gregory  Nazienzen  gives  of  his  fellow-student 
at  Athens,  Julian  the  Apostate.  We  might  even  then 
have  exclaimed  with  the  Saint,  '  What  a  monster  our 
country  is  bringing  up  in  this  youth.' '  Young  Dubois 
studiously  avoided  the  companionship  of  such  boys  at 
school,  and  preferred  that  of  the  pure  and  good.  What 
a  contrast  is  presented  in  the  after-lives  of  these  two 
fellow-students  !  The  one  became  a  scourge  to  his  fel- 
low-men— the  other  an  angel  of  mercy  and  bene- 
diction. 

Mr.  Dubois  was  a  good  student.  He  bore  away  the 
prizes  of  his  class.  His  parents  had  destined  him  for  the 
army,  but  he  preferred  to  enlist  under  the  banner  of  the 
cross.  Entering  the  Oratorian  Seminary  of  St.  Ma- 
gloire,  he  applied  himself  earnestly  to  the  study  of  the- 
ology and  to  the  acquisition  of  virtue.  An  ardent  zeal 
for  the  salvation  of  souls,  patience,  self-denial,  and  hu- 
mility were  his  distinguishing  virtues.  Here  he  had  for 
companions  the  Abbe  McCarthy,  afterwards  the  cele- 
brated pulpit-orator  and  ornament  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus ;  the  distinguished  Abbe  Le  Gris  Duval ;  and  the 
admirable  Cheverus,  destined  like  himself  to  wear  a 
mitre  in  the  Western  World.  His  fine  qualities  and  sedu- 
lous attention  to  his  studies  and  duties  won  for  him  the 
notice  and  regard  of  Monseigneur  De  Juigne,  Arch- 
bishop of  Paris.  His  admirable  "  Theses,"  which  he 
sustained  at  St.  Magloire  and  at  the  Sorbonne,  added  to 
his  repute ;  and  while  yet  a  student  he  received  a  bene- 


Right  Rev.  John  Dubois,  D.D.  417 

fice  in  the  vicinity  of  Paris.  On  the  22d  of  September, 
1787,  though  still  under  the  canonical  age,  he  received  a 
dispensation,  and  was  ordained  in  the  sacred  ministry. 
His  first  appointment  was  that  of  assistant  priest  at  the 
parish  of  St.  Sulpice.  He  was  also  appointed  one  of 
the  chaplains  of  an  extensive  institution,  under  the  Sisters 
of  Charity,  for  insane  patients  and  destitute  orphans, 
called  the  Hospice  de  Petits  Maisons,  in  the  Rue  de 
Seve,  Paris,  where  he  became  acquainted  with  the  spirit 
of  the  admirable  rules  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  which 
seemed  a  providential  preparation  for  his  important 
duties  in  organizing  the  Sisters  of  Charity  of  St.  Vin- 
cent de  Paul,  at  Emmittsburg. 

It  was  while  the  exemplary  clergy  of  France  were 
thus  engaged  in  works  of  charity  and  ministrations  of 
religion,  that  the  French  Revolution  broke  out,  and 
blasted  the  noble  and  precious  fruits  of  ages  of  spiritual 
culture  and  labor.  The  friend  of  Mr.  Dubois,  Arch- 
bishop De  Juign6,  fled  to  Germany,  and  the  clergy 
were  driven  in  every  direction.  Mr.  Dubois  continued 
his  ministry  at  Paris  until  his  firm  refusal  to  yield  to  the 
requirements  of  the  Revolution  drew  upon  him  the 
hatred  of  the  revolutionists,  and  he  too  was  forced  to  fly. 
Having  obtained  letters  from  the  Marquis  de  La  Fay- 
ette,  through  the  influence  of  the  family  of  De  Noailles, 
and  a  passport,  he  exchanged  the  dangerous  clerical 
dress  for  the  safer  one  of  the  citizen,  and  passed  in  dis- 
guise, accompanied  by  a  faithful  servant,  to  Havre  de 
Grace,  and  thence  sailed  for  Norfolk,  in  the  United 
States,  where  he  arrived  in  August,  1791.  He  was  re- 
ceived by  Bishop  Carroll  with  that  cordial  sympathy  and 
friendship  with  which  he  welcomed  all  that  saintly  band 
of  exiles  that  the  French  Revolution  cast  upon  our 
27 


4i 8  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

shores.  They  enabled  him  to  send  holy  and  zealous  pas- 
tors to  many  needy  and  suffering  portions  of  his  flock. 
Receiving  faculties  from  Bishop  Carroll,  Mr.  Dubois  exer- 
cised the  functions  of  the  sacred  ministry,  first  at  Norfolk 
and  afterwards  at  Richmond.  The  letters  he  received 
from  La  Fayette  were  addressed  to  some  of  the  most 
distinguished  citizens  of  the  New  Republic,  such  as 
James  Monroe,  who  was  afterwards  President;  Patrick 
Henry ;  the  Randolphs,  Lees,  and  Beverleys,  who  re- 
ceived him  with  the  generous  and  refined  hospitality  for 
which  the  Old  Dominion  was  ever  distinguished.  He  re- 
sided for  some  time  with  the  future  President,  and 
received  lessons  in  English  from  that  great  orator  and 
master  of  the  language,  Patrick  Henry.  At  Richmond 
he  was  invited  to  use  the  Capitol  for  his  chapel,  having 
no  church ;  and  in  this  temple  of  liberty  he  offered  up  the 
holy  sacrifice  and  administered  the  sacraments  to  such 
Catholics  as  could  attend.  Father  Framback,  who 
attended  the  upper  portions  of  Virginia  from  Maryland, 
encountered  the  ignorant  prejudices  of  the  rural  popu- 
lations, who  had  never  seen  a  Catholic  priest,  and 
had  never  heard  anything  but  evil  of  him  and  his 
Church. 

Mr.  Dubois,  on  the  contrary,  was  received  with  marked 
kindness  and  liberality  by  the  more  enlightened  and  cul- 
tivated residents  of  the  cities  and  southern  counties.  He 
also  contrived  to  support  himself  by  teaching  French, 
for  the  Catholics  were  too  few  and  poor  to  contribute  to 
his  relief.  He  soon  qualified  himself  for  the  duties  of 
the  mission,  and  was  called  by  Bishop  Carroll  to  Fred- 
erick, Maryland,  where  the  Catholics,  though  few,  were 
more  numerous  than  in  Virginia,  and  from  which  town 
he  went  to  attend  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  Catholics 


Right  Rev.  John  Dubois,  D.D.  419 

about  Emmittsburg,  Montgomery  County,  Martinsburg, 
and  Winchester.  He  was  the  only  pastor  of  Western 
Maryland  and  Virginia,  and  was  in  fact  for  a  long  time 
the  only  priest  between  Baltimore  and  St.  Louis.  Some 
of  his  congregation  came  to  Frederick  to  attend  Mass 
and  receive  the  Sacrament  from  distances  of  twenty, 
forty,  and  even  sixty  miles;  and  when  any  of  them  were 
ill  or  dying,  the  indefatigable  pastor  journeyed  those  dis- 
tances on  horseback,  and  sometimes  on  foot,  to  carry 
the  consolations  of  religion  to  them.  Among  the  fam- 
ilies of  his  flock  was  that  of  ex-Governor  Lee,  of  Mary- 
land, a  recent  convert  to  the  faith.  A  large  room  in  a 
building  at  Frederick  at  first  served  as  his  chapel,  and 
subsequently  he  built  the  first  church  in  that  city.  His 
missionary  labors  were  extraordinary — he  spared  no 
pains,  labors,  or  fatigues  in  the  discharge  of  the  sublime 
duties  which  heaven  assigned  him ;  after  the  exhausting 
fatigues  of  his  ministry  in  town,  he  scoured  the  country 
in  quest  of  souls,  entering  into  the  minute  details  of  in- 
structing and  catechizing  the  children  and  servants,  re- 
warding the  pious  zeal  of  the  most  meritorious,  and 
having  a  smile  and  a  kind  word  for  all.  His  rest  was 
short,  his  labors  long;  by  a  systematic  application  of  his 
time  and  labors,  he  accomplished  incredible  results ;  his 
zeal  was  untiring,  his  will  unconquerable,  and  nothing 
seemed  impossible  to  his  far-seeing  and  indomitable 
mind  and  will.  When  he  undertook  to  build  the  first 
church  at  Frederick,  the  people  thought  him  mad;  even 
Mr.  Taney,  afterwards  Chief-Justice,  who  was  an  emi- 
nent lawyer  at  Frederick,  and  a  member  of  his  congre- 
gation, said:  "We  all  thought  that  the  means  could 
never  be  raised  to  pay  for  such  a  building;  that  the 
church  would  never  be  completed,  and,  if  it  were  com- 


420  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

pleted,  it  would  never  be  filled  with  Catholics."  Mr. 
Dubois,  placing  his  trust  in  God,  and  heeding  no  dis- 
couragements, accomplished  all  these  things  and  a  great 
deal  more.  He  was  remarkable  for  his  punctuality, 
never  disappointing  a  congregation  or  family  that  he 
promised  to  attend,  himself  remarking:  "The  shepherd 
must  never  disappoint  his  flock;  it  would  cause  their  dis- 
persion and  ruin  if  he  did."  It  is  related  that  he  arrived 
much  fatigued  one  Saturday  afternoon  at  Emmittsburg, 
and  heard  confessions  for  awhile,  which,  however,  were 
interrupted  by  a  sick  call  to  Montgomery  County,  fifty 
miles  distant;  giving  the  necessary  directions  for  Mass 
at  the  usual  hour  on  the  next  morning,  he  returned  that 
night  to  Frederick,  and  proceeding  to  Montgomery, 
gave  the  last  consolations  of  religion  to  a  dying  person, 
and  returned — swimming  his  horse  twice  across  the  Mo- 
nocacy  River,  the  last  of  which  was  near  costing  him  his 
life,  in  consequence  of  wearied  nature  sinking  into  sleep 
as  the  animal  pushed  through  the  water  ;  he  was  again 
in  the  confessional  at  Emmittsburg  by  nine  o'clock  next 
morning,  still  fasting,  and  sang  High  Mass  and  preached. 
All  this  was  done  with  such  little  appearance  of  fatigue, 
and  with  such  saintly  humility  and  cheerfulness,  that  no 
one  suspected  how  he  had  spent  the  night.  His  ministry 
was  most  earnest  and  sincere.  Though  mild  and  gentle 
tto  all,  he  was  severe  upon  sin  and  folly,  reproving  ex- 
travagance and  excessive  fashion,  and  especially  the  dis- 
honesty of  living  beyond  one's  means,  and  of  contracting 
debts  without  knowing  how  they  were  to  be  paid.  His 
people  found  in  him  a  truthful  exponent  of  Christian 
duty,  and  a  faithful  friend,  counsellor,  and  pastor.  His 
noble  example  of  labor,  privation,  hardship,  poverty,  and 
humility  was  in  keeping  with  his  precepts,  and  won  for 


Right  Rev.  John  Dubois,  D.D.  421 

him  the  confidence,  love,  and  veneration  of  his  flock, 
over  whom  he  exerted  unbounded  influence  for  good. 

Such  was  the  life  of  Mr.  Dubois  from  1794  to  1808. 
He  visited  the  neighborhood  of  Emmittsburg  once;  a 
month,  saying  Mass  alternately  in  the  church  of  the  vil- 
lage and  in  the  little  chapel  at  the  base  of  the  mountain. 
In  November,  1805,  these  two  congregations  united  in 
clearing  a  space  on  the  brow  of  the  hill,  in  cutting  and 
hewing  logs  for  the  purpose,  and  in  erecting  a  one-story 
house  of  two  rooms  (known  afterwards  as  Mr.  Du- 
hamel's  house).  In  the  following  spring  Mr..  Dubois  se- 
lected a  spot  of  unrivaled  beauty  and  grandeur,  in  the 
midst  of  the  dense  and  wild  mountain  forest,  as  the  site 
for  a  new  church.  Here  was  erected  the  brick  church 
that  crowns  and  sanctifies  the  mountain.  It  cost  the 
good  pastor  immense  personal  exertions  and  sacrifices, 
but  he  succeeded  against  all  impediments.  The  church 
was  completed,  and  Mr.  Dubois  removed  from  Frederick 
to  "the  Mountain,"  took  possession  of  the  log-house  or 
residence,  and  entered  upon  the  regular  discharge  of  his 
pastoral  duties  at  the  church.  All  was  rude  and  unculti- 
vated ;  but  the  eye  of  Mr.  Dubois  saw  the  peculiar  ad- 
vantages of  the  spot,  and  marked  it  out  as  the  chosen 
theatre  of  a  great  and  glorious  future  of  eventful  use- 
fulness. 

In  the  mind  of  the  Catholic  priest  two  ideas  are  in- 
separably united,  the  Church  and  the  school.  No  sooner 
had  the  first  been  erected  than  Mr.  Dubois  began  the 
latter,  which  was  first  conducted  in  a  small  brick  house 
some  distance  from  the  mountain,  but  was  soon  removed 
to  a  more  commodious  log  tenement  on  the  rise  of  the 
hill.  In  1809  Mr.  Dubois  became  a  member  of  the  So- 
ciety of  St.  Sulpice.  A  preparatory  ecclesiastical  Semi- 


422  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

nary  had  been  commenced  by  this  society  at  Abbottstown, 
Pennsylvania,  for  the  preparation  of  professors  for  St. 
Mary's  College,  and  students  for  the  Seminary  at  Balti- 
more. Mr.  Dubois'  school  at  Emmittsburg  had  now  ma- 
tured into  an  ecclesiastical  institution,  as  an  appendage 
of  that  at  Baltimore,  and  now  sixteen  students  are  trans- 
ferred from  Abbottstown  to  the  school  at  Emmittsburg. 
Such  were  the  attractions  which  Emmittsburg  possessed, 
— its  elevated  and  picturesque  location,  its  salubrious  air, 
and  seclusion  from  the  distractions  of  the  world, — that 
many  parents  were  induced  to  request  admission  for  their 
sons  as  English  and  classical  students.  They  were  re- 
ceived as  such,  and  the  ecclesiastical  students  became 
their  teachers.  Thus  the  infant  institution  became  in  a 
measure  self-sustaining,  and  its  success  assured.  It  was 
not  long  before  Mr.  Dubois  presented  to  his  Bishop,  as 
the  first  fruits  of  his  zeal,  several  pious  and  zealous 
youths,  thoroughly  grounded  in  theology,  and  prepared 
for  the  sanctuary  which  they  were  destined  to  adorn. 
The  accounts  of  the  energy  and  personal  labor  with 
which  Mr.  Dubois  exerted  himself  in  building  up  Mt.  St. 
Mary's  College,  and  his  extraordinary  success,  have 
passed  into  our  local  Church  history.  The  growth  and 
expansion  of  that  noble  institution,  from  its  first  begin- 
nings in  a  log  building  to  its  present  dimensions  and 
splendor,  are  among  the  best  evidences  of  the  onward 
and  permanent  establishment  of  the  Church  in  this  coun- 
try. The  many  devout  and  educated  laymen,  the  many 
zealous  and  holy  priests,  and  the  many  learned  and  able 
Prelates  it  has  sent  forth  to  the  country,  have  made  the 
name  of  Mt.  St.  Mary's  celebrated.  It  falls  to  the  lot  of 
few  men  to  leave  such  monuments  behind  them  as  Bishop 
Dubois  has  left.  His  example  of  patience,  labor,  priva- 


Right  Rev.  John  Dubois,  D.D.  423 

tion,  charity,  and  zeal  in  the  many  protracted  and  severe 
trials  through  which  he  passed  in  accomplishing  his 
great  work,  are  a  more  precious  legacy  than  the  noble 
college  itself.  In  1824,  on  Pentecost  Sunday,  when  the 
fine  stone  building  intended  to  supersede  the  old  log  one 
was  nearly  ready  for  occupation,  the  good  president  and 
inmates  of  the  institution  were  aroused  at  night  by  the 
cry  of  fire,  and,  on  rising  from  their  beds,  they  saw  the 
noble  structure,  the  work  of  so  much  exertion  and  labor, 
enveloped  in  flames,  and  soon  leveled  with  the  ground. 
That  this  lamentable  event  should  have  been  the  work 
of  an  incendiary  seems  almost  incredible  ;  but  alas !  such 
was  at  the  time  generally  believed  to  have  been  the  case. 
The  meek  resignation  and  mild  forbearance  with  which 
Mr.  Dubois  witnessed  this  sad  and  desolating  conflagra- 
tion, won  unive'rsal  admiration;  no  words  of  disappoint- 
ment, reproach,  or  impatience  escaped  his  lips.  He  was 
resigned  to  the  visitation,  and  referred  this  severe  trial, 
and  the  guilty  perpetrators  of  the  outrage,  to  God.  His 
thoughts  turned  at  once  to  the  subject  of  replacing  the 
ruins  with  a  new  building ;  and  it  is  related  that,  while 
gazing  at  the  ravages  of  the  devouring  element,  he 
calmly  pointed  out  defects  in  the  construction  of  the 
house  which  he  proposed  to  remedy  in  the  new  building 
he  was  even  then  planning  to  supply  its  place.  What 
can  exceed  the  moral  beauty  of  the  scene,  when  this  ven- 
erable Christian  priest,  sorrowful  and  almost  broken- 
hearted, was  seen  by  the  brilliant  but  unhappy  light  that 
destroyed  his  own  child,  meekly  to  bow  his  head  as  he 
placed  on  it  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  exclaimed:  "The 
Lord  gave  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away;  blessed  be 
the  name  of  the  Lord."  Though  already  bowed  down 
by  the  labors  and  cares  of  his  eventful  life,  and  with  his 


424  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

head  whitened  by  the  snows  of  sixty  winters,  he  cou- 
rageously undertook  the  erection  of  another  building, 
more  extensive  than  the  first;  and  before  the  two  years 
elapsed  that  intervened  before  his  transfer  to  another 
field  of  usefulness,  he  finished  it  and  dedicated  it  to  its 
holy  purposes. 

Mr.  Dubois  was  not  only  its  founder  and  president,  he 
was  everything  to  Mt.  St.  Mary's  College.  No  work 
was  too  trivial  for  him  to  see  to,  that  could  accomplish 
good.  Thus  while  performing  the  laborious  duties  of 
President  of  the  College,  sole  pastor  at  the  mountain, 
and  chief  pastor  of  Emmittsburg,  Confessor  and  Superior 
of  St.  Joseph's  Academy,  he  was  also  Procurator  and 
Treasurer  of  the  College ;  he  also  taught  a  Latin  class, 
one  or  two  French  classes,  and,  during  the  absence  of 
Mr.  Brute,  the  class  of  theology.  To  these  varied 
duties  were  added  the  cares  of  building,  the  superintend- 
ence of  the  farm,  and  the  general  out-door  interests  of 
the  institution. 

Father  Dubois  was  peculiarly  happy  in  his  instruc 
tions  to  children  and  servants ;  he  prepared  them  him- 
self for  the  sacraments,  and  his  tender  and  winning  ad- 
dresses to  them  when  preparing  them  for  first  commu- 
nion, moved  the  tear  in  many  an  eye'  of  young  and  old. 
He  rendered  the  wild  rude  region  which  he  selected  for 
his  Church  and  College,  a  classic  spot,  a  religious 
sanctuary,  an  earthly  paradise.  An  eloquent  son 
of  the  mountain  has  well  said  of  him:  "Anxious  to 
neglect  no  means  of  inspiring,  and  preserving  youthful 
piety,  he  was  particularly  eager  to  infuse  into  the  young 
breast  his  own  tender  devotion  to  the  Mother  of  God. 
To  her  he  dedicated  his  Church,  his  College,  and  his 
Seminary.  The  hill,  the  spring,  the  woods — every- 


Right  Rev.  John  Dubois,  D.D.  425 

thing  around  him  was  sacred  to  Mary.  To  her  honor 
his  labors  and  his  life  were  devoted : — and  beautiful  were 
the  lessons  which  he  taught  us  by  word  and  example,  of 
respect  for  the  exalted  virtues  and  prerogatives  of  our 
most  Blessed  Lady, — of  love  for  this  purest  and  most 
tender  of  mothers,  of  confidence  in  the  intercession  of 
our  most  powerful  advocate  and  protectress.  Oh, 
Mary !  spotless  Queen  of  Heaven  !  Most  gracious  pa- 
troness of  our  Mount !  may  we  never  cease  to  practise 
his  admirable  instructions  !  " 

With  such  varied  and  laborious  duties,  it  would  scarcely 
be  supposed  that  even  the  indefatigable  and  energetic 
Dubois  could  sustain  an  increase  of  them.  But  it  was 
his  childlike  reliance  on  Providence,  and  his  willingness 
to  spend  himself  in  the  service  of  God  and  his  neighbor, 
that  rendered  all  things  easy  and  acceptable  to  him. 
Thus  we  see  him,  when  the  new  Society  of  Sisters  of 
Charity,  under  Mother  Seton,  went  to  Emmittsburg,  ren- 
dering them  every  assistance,  both  spiritual  and  tem- 
poral. Bishop  Brute  used  to  say  of  him,  that  he 
was  "  the  true  father  of  that  institution  from  the  begin- 
ing."  He  gave  them  a  home  on  the  mountain  when  they 
arrived,  and  from  his  own  scanty  stores  supplied  them 
with  bread,  when  their  poverty  was  near  dispersing  them. 
He  was  their  chaplain  and  spiritual  director,  and  Arch- 
bishop Carroll  entrusted  him  with  all  their  spiritual  con 
cerns  and  interests.  Their  rules  were  chiefly  formed  by 
him,  and  he  instructed  them  in  the  spirit  and  institute 
of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul.  He  celebrated  Mass  for  them 
every  day  in  their  humble  chapel ;  and  when  they  were 
blest  with  a  better  one,  he  officiated  with  the  joy  of  a 
father  at  the  ceremony  of  carrying  the  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment from  the  old  to  the  new  sanctuary,  followed  in 


426  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

solemn  yet  simple  procession  by  the  angelic  little  com- 
munity of  Sisters.  In  1812  Mr.  Dubois  received,  as  his 
assistant  in  his  labors,  the  saintly  and  learned  Brute, 
who  shared  with  him  the  care  of  the  Sisters  as  he  did 
all  his  other  duties.  "  The  Rev.  Mr.  Dubois,"  says  the 
author  of  Mother  Seton's  life,*  "still  continued  his  emi- 
nent services  to  St.  Joseph's  community,  amid  his  other 
arduous  occupations  which  literally  overwhelmed  him, 
particularly  since  the  departure  of  Mr.  Brute  for  Europe. 
He  was  oftentimes  obliged  to  abstain  from  his  meals  on 
account  of  the  fatigue  under  which  he  labored ;  and  it 
was  useless  to  represent  to  him  the  necessity  of  paying 
more  regard  to  his  health,  for  his  enterprising  spirit 
and  indefatigable  zeal  made  him  indifferent  to  his  per- 
sonal wants." 

The  time  was  now  at  hand  when  Mr.  Dubois  was  to 
be  separated  from  his  cherished  institutions  at  Emmitts- 
burg.  How  could  he  depart  from  these  objects  of  his 
love  and  usefulness,  of  whose  life  he  was  the  very  soul 
and  sustenance.  But  the  voice  of  the  Vicar  of  Christ 
called  him,  and  he  obeyed.  The  beautiful  words  ad- 
dressed by  one  of  Mt.  St.  Mary's  most  gifted  sons  to  his 
brethren  seem  to  form  a  fitting  conclusion  of  this  brief 
account  of  his  services  at  Emmittsburg: — "Now,  my 
brethren,  called  together  by  a  common  feeling  of  grati- 
tude towards  a  common  benefactor,  lift  up  your  eyes, 
look  round  about,  and  tell  me  what  you  see !  What  but 
monuments  of  the  pure  religious  zeal  of  Bishop  Dubois, 
clearly  marked  with  the  seal  of  divine  benediction  ? 
Who  reared  to  the  honor  of  Almighty  God  the  temple 
in  which  you  are  assembled  ?  Who  sot  it  beautifully  on 
the  mountain's  brow,  to  crown  our  sacred  hill  as  with  a 

*  Life  oj  Mrs.  Seton,  by  Rev.  C.  I.  White,  D.D. 


Right  Rev.  John  Dubois,  D.D.  427 

diadem  of  glory?  From  this  lofty  height,  enjoying  a 
magnificent  prospect,  which  expands  and  elevates  the 
soul — with  half  of  Maryland  stretched  before  you,  and  a 
large  part  of  Pennsylvania,  and  something  of  Virginia 
too — tell  me  who  has  done  most  for  the  welfare — above 
all,  the  spiritual  welfare — of  those  who  have  pitched  their 
tents  upon  the  mountain's  side,  or  in  its  fertile  valleys,  or 
on  the  plains  below?  Who  adorned  our  neighborhood 
with  that  noble  collegiate  edifice  ?  Who  raised  up  in 
the  tangled  forest  that  abode  of  science  and  letters? 
Who  dedicated  to  the  Muses  that  crystal  spring,  gushing 
cool,  delicious  waters  from  the  rock  ?  Who  taught  the 
wilderness  to  bloom  as  a  garden,  and  converted  the  rude 
forests  into  a  paradise,  in  which  study  and  piety  might, 
like  twin  angels,  walk  hand-in-hand,  and  from  which  it 
might  be  hoped  that  the  tempting  servant  of  worldly  dissi- 
pation would  be  effectually  excluded  ?  Who  established 
that  nursery  of  the  American  Church  from  which  so  many 
priests  and  Bishops  had  gone  forth — pastors  according 
to  God's  own  heart — men  whose  talents,  learning,  and 
piety  have  reflected  lustre  on  their  Alma  Mater, 
and  rendered  Mt.  St.  Mary's  '  a  bright  and  venerable 
name  ? '  Who  gave  a  still  more  enviable  celebrity  to  St. 
Joseph's  Valley,  and  like  the  prophet  smiting  the  rock  at 
Horeb,  caused  a  perennial  fountain  of  charity  to  gush 
forth,  that  the  poor  orphan  might  not,  for  want  of  the 
well-springs  of  religious  benevolence,  perish  of  thirst  in 
the  arid  desert  of  human  society  ?  Who  gave  mothers 
to  the  motherless,  tender  nurses  to  the  destitute  sick, 
soft-toned  Sisters  to  calm  the  raving  maniac,  and  gov- 
ern by  gentleness  and  sweet  affection  the  darkened  be- 
i  ig  whom  reason  has  ceased  to  rule  ?  Who  prepared 
and  formed  those  Christian  heroines,  ready  at  any  mo- 


428  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

ment  to  fly  to  the  seat  of  contagion,  there  to  hover,  like 
guardian  angels,  around  the  suffering  and  dying, — 
soothing  every  sorrow,  relieving  every  pain,  inspiring 
confidence  by  their  calm  intrepidity,  inspiring  piety  by 
their  beautiful  example,  inspiring  the  guilty  soul  with 
contrition,  and  the  despairing  with  hopes  of  mercy,  and 
breathing  their  own  faith  and  charity  and  humble  trust 
into  the  spirit  trembling  on  the  verge  of  eternity  ?  Who, 
in  a  word,  nurtured  the  institution  of  the  Sisters  of 
Charity  from  helpless  infancy  up  to  a  strong  and  flburish- 
ing  maturity  ?  What  one  man,  I  ask,  has  in  tKis  our  day 
and  in  our  country  done  most  for  the  good  of  souls- 
most  for  the  relief  of  human  misery — most  for  the  benefit 
of  society  ?  You  are  all  ready  with  one  voice  to 
answer :  It  is  Bishop  Dubois,  the  father  of  St.  Joseph's ; 
the  founder  of  Mt.  St.  Mary's.  Yes,  he  was  that 
'  blessed  man  '  of  whom  the  psalmist  speaks.  He  was 
'  like  the  tree  planted  by  the  running  waters  and  bringing 
forth  fruit  in  due  season.'  All  things  whatsoever  he. 
did  were  fertilized  by  the  dews  of  heaven,  were  watered 
from  the  fountains  of  divine  grace,  and  prospered  under 
the  blessing  of  the  Most  High  God."* 

In  1826  Mr.  Dubois  was  appointed  Bishop  of  New 
York.  He  was  now  over  sixty  years  old ;  time  and  la- 
bor had  told  upon  his  once  vigorous  health.  Ever  obe- 
dient, and  undaunted  by  the  prospect  of  labor  and  trials, 
he  bowed  to  the  mandate  from  Rome.  The  illustrious 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  presented  him  with  his 
episcopal  cross  and  ring.  He  was  consecrated  by  Arch- 
bishop Marechal,  assisted  by  Bishop  Conwell,  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  the  Very  Rev.  Dr.  Power,  of  New  York,  in 
the  Cathedral  of  Baltimore,  October  29,  1826.  The 

*  Rev.  Dr.  McCaffrey's  Lecture  on  Bishop  Dubois. 


Right  Rev.  John  Dubois,  D.D.  429 

Rev.  Mr.  Taylor,  of  Boston,  preached  the  consecration 
sermon.  He  was  installed  at  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral, 
November  9,  in  the  presence  of  the  clergy  and  of  four 
thousand  of  the  faithful,  who  crowded  around  the  altar  to 
get  the  new  Bishop's  blessing.  The  following  account 
of  his  inaugural  sermon  is  taken  from  a  journal  of  that 
period:*  "The  Right  Rev.  Prelate  said,  'There  should 
be  but  one  heart  and  one  soul  between  the  Bishop  and 
his  clergy;  and  but  one  heart  and  one  soul  between  the 
Bishop,  his  clergy,  and  the  congregation.  They  should 
on  every  occasion  act  in  unison,  and  by  pursuing  such 
conduct  the  Catholics  of  New  York  might  almost  work 
miracles.'  As  a  proof  that  his  first  step  was  for  the 
benefit  of  his  congregation,  he  stated  to  them  that  he 
had  selected  and  brought  on  with  him  three  clergymen, 
whose  only  duty  should  be  to  attend  to  the  catechetical 
instruction  of  the  children  of  his  congregation.  Ad- 
dressing himself  to  the  Irish  portion  of  his  hearers,  he 
observed  that  he  entertained  for  them  the  liveliest  feel- 
ings of  affection ;  he  reminded  them  of  the  persecutions 
they  had  undergone  in  defence  of  their  religion,  of  the 
sacrifices  many  of  them  had  made  in  leaving  their  na- 
tive country,  and  conjured  them  always  to  manifest  that 
ardent  attachment  to  the  religion  of  their  forefathers 
which  had  hitherto  so  pre-eminently  distinguished  them 
among  their  brother-Catholics.  To  the  French  he  de- 
livered himself  in  the  most  feeling  manner,  and  con- 
cluded his  address  by  a  solemn  prayer  to  the  throne  of 
mercy,  imploring  a  benediction  on  the  Catholic  congre- 
gations of  the  diocese." 

On  entering  his  diocese,  which  then  embraced  the  en- 
tire State  of  New  York  and  part  of  New  Jersey,  now 

•  Tfu  Truth  Teller. 


430  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

subdivided  into  six  dioceses,  he  found  a  Catholic  popu- 
lation of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  souls,  with 
eight  churches  and  eighteen  priests.  New  York  City 
contained  about  thirty-five  thousand  Catholics,  with 
three  churches  and  six  priests.  Among  the  laity  there 
were  not  wanting  some  who,  forgetting  the  Catholic 
spirit  of  the  Church,  and  their  own  relations  and  duty  to 
the  divinely  constituted  rulers  of  the  One  Fold,  and  en- 
couraged by  the  circumstance  of  their  possessing  as 
trustees  the  control  of  the  temporalities,  did  not  scruple 
to  wound  the  heart  of  their  loving  father  by  their  con- 
duct. But  he  soon  showed,  by  a  pastoral  which  he  is- 
sued, that  he  was  determined  to  maintain  his  own  rights 
and  those  of  the  Church,  and  to  bring  the  discipline  of 
the  diocese  to  the  standard  of  the  sacred  canons.  His 
struggle  with  the  un-Catholic  system  of  lay-trusteeism 
cost  him  many  trials,  but  he  resisted  manfully  to  the  full 
extent  of  the  limited  means  within  his  control.  On  one 
occasion,  when  he  appointed  a  clergyman  to  the  pastor- 
ship of  the  Cathedral,  in  preference  to  another  more  ac- 
ceptable to  the  trustees,  they  refused  to  pay  any  salary 
to  the  Bishop's  appointee,  but  paid  the  salary  to  the  one 
of  their  own  choice,  though  actually  suspended  from  his 
functions.  A  committee  of  these  misguided  trustees, 
who,  had  they  followed  the  spirit  of  religion  instead  of 
that  of  the  world,  could  have  co-operated  so  effectively 
to  promote  the  faith,  called  upon  the  Bishop,  and,  with 
many  formal  expressions  of  respect,  informed  him  that 
having  been  appointed  by  the  congregation  as  the  repre- 
sentatives of  their  interests,  they  could  not  conscien- 
tiously vote  the  Bishop's  salary  unless  he  gave  them 
such  clergymen  as  were  acceptable  to  them.  The  Bishop 
listened  to  all  they  had  to  say,  and  then  quietly  but  no- 


Right  Rev.  John  Dubois,  D.D.  431 

bly  replied :  "  Well,  gentlemen,  you  may  vote  the  salary 
or  not,  just  as  seems  good  to  you  ;  I  do  not  need  much ; 
I  can  live  in  the  basement  or  in  the  garret ;  but  whether 
I  come  up  from  the  basement  or  down  from  the  garret, 
I  will  still  be  your  Bishop."  The  difficulties  of  his  sit- 
uation did  not  dampen  his  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls, 
nor  his  ardor  in  doing  good  for  his  people.  Owing  to 
the  fewness  of  priests,  he  was  obliged,  like  his  prede- 
cessor, to  perform,  in  addition  to  his  own  duties,  those  of 
a  missionary  priest  in  hearing  confessions,  visiting  the 
sick,  and  instructing  the  ignorant.  In  his  letter  to  the 
Council  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith  he  says:  "I 
am  obliged  to  fulfil  at  the  same  time  the  duties  of  a 
Bishop,  parish  priest,  and  catechist."  His  amiable  man- 
ner and  admirable  cheerfulness  remained  the  same  under 
all  his  labors  and  privations.  His  energy,  labors,  and 
courage,  even  at  this  advanced  period  of  his  life,  explain 
how  in  his  younger  days  at  Mt.  St.  Mary's  he  had  won 
the  title  of  the  "  Little  Bonaparte." 

One  of  his  first  measures  was  to  make  a  visitation  of 
his  vast  diocese,  in  which  he  travelled  and  labored  in- 
cessantly ;  he  spent  his  time  in  inquiring  into  the  condi- 
tion of  his  flock,  in  seeking  out  Catholic  families  and  set- 
tlements, in  organizing  congregations,  projecting  churches, 
administering  the  sacraments,  and  preaching.  At  Albany 
he  inspired  the  Catholics  with  the  courage  to  build  a 
new  church.  At  Buffalo  he  found  between  seven  and 
eight  hundred  Catholics,  instead  of  sixty  or  seventy  as 
he  had  been  led  to  expect.  Here  he  received  the  grant 
of  land  for  the  erection  of  St.  Louis'  Church,  afterwards  the 
scene  of  schism  and  disorder  under  his  successors;  and  at 
the  blessing  of  the  spot,  the  faithful  from  Ireland,  France, 
Germany,  and  Switzerland  united  as  Catholics  in  the  joy- 


4.3 2  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

ous  ceremony.  He  was  obliged  to  hear  numerous  con- 
fessions, two  hundred  of  them  by  means  of  an  interpreter. 
He  also  visited  amongst  others  the  Indian  village  of  St. 
Regis,  which  was  partly  within  his  diocese,  and  where 
the  American  part  were  in  open  opposition  to  the  pastor, 
who  resided  on  the  Canadian  side.  Here  he  adminis- 
tered the  sacraments,  the  grace  of  which  he  regarded  as 
the  most  potent  peace-maker.  His  visitation  only  re- 
vealed to  him  the  real  wants  and  privations  of  his  diocese. 
His  heart  suggested  many  a  plan  of  relief,  and  his  hand 
was  ready  for  the  undertaking.  Had  he  been  supported 
by  the  trustees  and  the  people  whom  they  influenced, 
they  would  soon  have  seen  seminary,  college,  schools, 
hospitals,  asylums,  and  churches  rising  under  the  magic 
of  his  energetic  will,  to  adorn  and  bless  the  diocese. 
But  he  was  obliged  to  look  abroad  for  assistance.  Not 
waiting  for  the  assembling  of  the  Council  at  Baltimore, 
he  at  once  resolved  to  proceed  to  Europe  in  quest  of 
assistance.  He  had  previously  made  known  the  condi- 
tion of  his  diocese,  and  before  his  departure  received 
from  the  Association  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith  a 
considerable  allowance,  a  favor  which  his  friend  Dr. 
Brute  had  obtained  for  him.  He  now  was  able  to  aid 
the  Catholics  of  Albany  in  the  erection  of  their  new 
church,  and  to  redeem  the  church  at  Newark,  just  about 
to  be  sacrificed.  He  reached  France  in  October,  1829, 
"and  proceeded  to  Rome  to  confide  his  pains,  his  trials, 
and  the  numberless  obstacles  which  he  met  to  the  Father 
of  the  Faithful,  and  to  the  venerable  Cardinal  Prefect  of 
the  Propaganda,"  as  an  appeal  in  behalf  of  his  flock,  not 
for  himself.  Having  obtained  such  assistance  as  was  prac- 
ticable, and  completed  his  other  business,  he  returned  to 
resume  the  wcrk  cf  building  up  the  Church  of  New  York. 


Right  Rev.  John  Dubois,  D.D.  433 

The  education  of  youth  and  the  preparation  of  candi- 
dates for  the  priesthood  engaged  his  earnest  attention. 
A  school  and  seminary  combined  were  his  first  plan,  but 
the  trustees  refused  to  convey  the  lot  to  the  Brothers 
who  were  to  take  charge  of  it,  and  this  project  was 
abandoned.  He  next  selected  a  site  near  Nyack,  on  the 
Hudson,  where,  as  at  the  secluded  spot  in  which  he 
had  erected  Mt.  St.  Mary's,  he  purchased  land  for  a  col- 
lege, and  the  corner-stone  was  laid  by  him  on  the  2Qth  of 
May,  1833.  This  step  aroused  the  bigotry  of  the  neigh- 
boring fanatics,  who  made  their  pulpits  ring  with  the 
abominations  and  dangers  of  "  Popery,"  and  opposed 
most  violently  the  incorporation  of  the  institution.  The 
Rev.  Dr.  Brownlee  preached  such  declamatory  philippics 
against  the  new  work  of  Bishop  Dubois  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Nyack,  that  threats  were  heard  against  the  new 
seat  of  learning ;  the  Bishop  sought  the  protection  of 
the  authorities  in  its  behalf;  but  this  was  of  no  avail,  the 
torch  of  the  incendiary  was  already  blazing,  and  the  first 
Catholic  College  of  New  York  was  soon  a  mass  of  ruins 
and  ashes.  It  was  thus  too,  in  1831,  he  witnessed  in 
his  episcopal  city  the  destruction  of  St.  Mary's  Church 
by  fire;  the  foul  work  of  an  incendiary.  Bishop  Dubois 
next  endeavored  to  establish  his  college  at  Brooklyn,  upon 
ground  proposed  to  be  donated  by  a  Catholic  citizen,  and 
a  quantity  of  stone  was  carried  from  the  ruins  of  the  burnt 
college  at  Nyack  for  the  purpose ;  but  the  conditions  of  the 
grant  were  not  such  as  the  Bishop  could  accept.  A  sub- 
sequent attempt  to  accomplish  this  object  was  made  by 
himself  and  his  coadjutor,  Bishop  Hughes,  who  purchased 
the  estate  of  Grovemont,  in  Jefferson  County,  from  Mr. 
Lafarge,  and  opened  thereon  St.  Vincent  of  Paul's  Semina- 
ry, designed  both  for  secular  and  ecclesiastical  education. 
28 


434  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

The  new  Church  of  St.  Mary's,  at  the  corner  of  Grand 
and  Ridge  streets,  in  New  York  City,  was  erected  in 
1832-33,  and  dedicated  to  the  divine  service.  Christ's 
Church,  in  Ann  street,  had  been  purchased  of  the  Episco- 
palians and  converted  into  a  Catholic  church;  but  in  1833 
its  walls  were  discovered  to  be  insecure,  and  the  church 
of  St.  James,  in  James  street,  was  erected  to  supply  its 
place,  and  was  completed  and  blessed  by  the  Bishop  in 
1837.  In  1833  the  corner-stone  of  St.  Joseph's,  at  the 
corner  of  Barrow  street  and  Sixth  avenue,  was  laid,  and 
in  March,  1834,  the  church  was  blessed  and  opened  for 
divine  service.  In  December,  1833,  a  large  plot  of 
ground  in  Eleventh  street,  between  Avenue  A  and  First 
avenue,  was  purchased  for  a  Catholic  burying-ground, 
the  original  one  at  St.  Peter's  having  been  discontinued, 
and  the  grounds  about  St.  Patrick's  being  nearly  full. 
In  1834  the  German  Catholics  purchased  lots  from  John 
Jacob  Astor  for  a  church  in  Second  street,  between  First 
Avenue  and  Avenue  A,  upon  which  the  old  church  of 
St.  Nicholas  was  erected,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  the 
Rev.  John  Raffeiner,  who  came  from  the  diocese  of 
Brixia,  in  the  Tyrol,  in  1833,  and  who  afterwards,  in 
1839,  erected  the  old  church  of  St.  John  Baptist,  in 
Thirtieth  street.  In  1835  St.  Paul's  Church,  at  Harlem, 
was  erected  under  the  supervision  of  Rev.  Michael  Cur- 
ran.  In  1836  the  Transfiguration  Church,  in  Chamber 
street,  was  opened  under  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  Very 
Rev.  Felix  Varela.  In  the  same  year  old  St.  Peter's, 
having  become  too  much  worn  and  impaired  by  time 
and  weather,  was  removed,  and  the  new  St.  Peter's 
erected  in  its  place;  the  corner-stone  was  laid  by  Bishop 
Dubois,  October  26 ;  Mass  was  celebrated  in  the  base- 
ment on  the  first  Sunday  of  September,  1837,  and  on  the 


Right  Rev.  John  Dubois,  D.D.  435 

V 

28th  of  February,  1838,  the  church  was  blessed  and 
opened  for  divine  service  by  Bishop  Hughes.  The 
churches  throughout  the  diocese  were  multiplied  under 
Bishop  Dubois  in  the  same  proportion,  and  clergymen 
to  supply  their  altars  were  provided. 

But  this  progress  of  the  Church  in  New  York  did  not 
escape  the  notice  of  the  sectarians  of  the  day,  who  have 
always  made  the  mistake  of  looking  upon  the  Catholic 
Church  in  America  as  something  foreign  to  the  country, 
and  as  hostile  to  its  free  and  liberal  institutions,  forget- 
ting that  it  was  Catholic  zeal,  courage,  and  science  that 
opened  the  New  World  to  the  knowledge  of  Christen- 
dom, and  that  first  raised  the  standard  of  civil  and  re- 
ligious liberty  on  its  soil ;  and  forgetting  that,  by  their 
periodical  onslaughts  upon  Catholicity,  they  exhibited 
themselves  as  the  opponents  of  freedom  of  conscience, 
and  as  unfaithful  to  the  guarantees  of  constitutional 
liberty  for  all.  The  noted  Dr.  Brownlee  led  off  the 
attack,  in  which  he  was  aided  by  more  ignorant  and  less 
able  colleagues,  all  of  whom  used  such  stale  ammunition 
as  the  infamous  inventions  against  convents  and  nuns, 
such  as  Rebecca  Reid's  Narrative,  and  the  "Awful  Dis- 
closures of  Maria  Monk,"  and  such-like.  They  met  with 
gallant  opponents  in  some  of  Bishop  Dubois'  clergy,  con- 
spicuous among  whom  were  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Varela, 
Power,  Schneller,  and  Levins,  the  last  two  of  whom 
established  the  "New  York  Weekly  Register  and  Catho- 
lic Diary"  as  the  organ  of  their  defences  against  the 
anti-Popery  attacks  of  their  adversaries.  The  burning 
and  sacking  of  the  Ursuline  Convent  at  Charlestown, 
Massachusetts,  in  1834,  stimulated  the  passions  of  the 
anti-Catholic  mob  of  New  York,  and  two  years  after- 
wards a  deliberately  devised  plan  was  entered  into  to 


436  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

destroy  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral  in  New  York,  which  was 
not  only  the  tabernacle  of  the  Most  High,  but  the  resting- 
place  of  the  unresisting  dead.  The  Catholics  were  thus 
compelled  to  defend  not  only  their  "  altars,"  but  also 
"the  green  graves  of  their  sires."  This  they  resolved 
to  do ;  the  church  was  put  into  a  state  of  defence,  the 
streets  leading  to  it  were  torn  up,  the  windows  of  the 
church  were  filled  with  armed  defenders  of  the  right,  and 
the  walls  of  the  churchyard  glistened  with  sword  and 
bayonet.  The  mob,  true  to  its  cowardly  instincts,  fled 
in  dismay  before  the  gallant  defenders  of  the  sanctuary 
and  the  grave,  without  opening  the  affray. 

In  1837  the  health  of  the  aged  and  venerable  Bishop 
began  so  greatly  to  decline,  that  his  strength  was  unequal 
to  the  increasing  labors  of  his  office.  He  requested  the 
assistance  of  a  Coadjutor  Bishop,  and  named  as  his  choice 
the  Rev.  John  Hughes,  of  Philadelphia,  who  had  been  one 
of  his  pupils  at  Mt.  St.  Mary's  College.  He  consecrated 
Bishop  Hughes  in  the  Cathedral  in  New  York,  assisted 
by  Bishops  Kenrick  and  Fenwick,  January  9,  1838. 
About  two  weeks  afterwards  he  was  attacked  by  partial 
paralysis,  from  which  he  never  entirely  recovered. 
Though  his  health  did  not  permit  him  afterwards  to 
take  any  very  active  part  in  the  government  of  the  dio- 
cese, yet  his  zeal  for  religion  and  his  interest  in  every- 
thing undertaken  to  promote  it,  did  not  abate  in  the 
midst  of  all  his  sufferings  and  infirmities.  Bishop  Hughes, 
in  announcing  the  withdrawal  of  Bishop  Dubois  from  all 
active  duties,  in  his  pastoral  of  October  14,  1839,  said  of 
the  venerable  Prelate,  "  Having  passed  through  more 
than  half  a  century  of  apostolical  labor  and  boundless 
as  well  as  untiring  zeal,  he  was  entitled  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six  years,  and  it  was  natural  for  him  to  seek,  the 


Right  Rev.  John  Dubois,  D.D.  437 

privilege  of  repose,  by  leaving  to  younger  energies  to 
take  up  the  burden  which  he  had  so  long  and  so  zeal- 
ously sustained."  He  died  full  of  sanctity,  patience,  and 
honors,  December  20,  1842;  and  was  buried  with  the 
episcopal  rites,  and  amidst  the  tears  and  with  the  praises 
of  the  people,  under  the  pavement  immediately  in  front 
of  the  main  entrance  to  the  Cathedral,  in  the  spot  selected 
by  himself. 

"Need  I  tell  you,"  says  his  eloquent  eulogist,*  "that 
such  a  life  was  closed  by  a  tranquil  and  happy  death. 
Patient,  resigned,  and  devout  to  the  end,  the  last  object 
that  caught  his  eager  gaze  was  the  sign  under  which  he 
had  fought  the  good  fight,  and  won  his  victories — the 
image  of  his  crucified  Redeemer ;  the  last  words  that 
trembled  on  his  lips  were  the  holy  names  which  in  in- 
fancy a  pious  mother  had  taught  him  to  lisp — Jesus, 
Mary,  and  Joseph !  As  ripe  and  mellow  fruit  falls  in 
due  season  to  the  ground — as  the  flower  hangs  its  head, 
and  droops,  and  dies — as  the  sun  at  evening's  close  sinks 
calmly  into  ocean's  bed,  leaving  tracks  of  glory  behind, 
so  did  he  quit  this  earthly  scene,  without  a  struggle  and 
without  a  sigh, — with  a  prayer  on  his  lips,  and  a  sweet 
hope  of  heavenly  rest  in  his  heart,  and  a  sweet  thought 
of  the  mercy  of  Jesus,  whom  he  had  loved  and  served 
all  his  life,  hovering  like  an  angel  over  his  departing 
spirit." 

*  Distourse  on  Bithop  Dubois,  by  Rev.  John  McCaffrey,  D.  D. 


RIGHT  REV.  MICHAEL  PORTIER,  D.D., 

•  i 

First  Bishop  of  Mobile,  A.D.  1826.* 

THE  history  of  Bishop  Portier's  episcopate  possesses 
a  special  interest,  because  the  oldest  diocese  ever  created 
within  our  Territory  was  a  part  of  his ;  he  officiated  in 
the  oldest  church  erected  on  our  soil,  and  the  descend- 
ants of  the  oldest  Catholic  colony  planted  in  our  country 
were  a  portion  of  his  flock.  Florida,  the  ancient  seat  of 
Catholicity  in  the  United  States,  together  with  Alabama 
and  the  Territory  of  Arkansas,  constituted  in  the  begin- 
ing  the  spiritual  domain  of  this  admirable  Prelate.  He 
was  also  for  many  years  the  senior  member  of  our  Hier- 
archy, being  the  oldest  of  the  Bishops,  both  in  age  and 
priority  of  consecration.  But  a  still  holier  and  more 
precious  tradition  is  associated  with  his  name ;  the  ex- 
traordinary labors  and  privations  he  underwent  in  the 
mission,  both  as  priest  and  as  Bishop ;  his  services  in 
the  cause  of  education  in  the  South ;  his  devotion  to  his 
Church  and  flock ;  his  poverty,  which  gave  all  to  enrich 
the  sanctuary;  his  goodness  to  his  clergy;  his  charity  to 
all ;  his  affable  and  condescending  manners  ;  his  joyous 
and  generous  embrace  of  the  cross  for  the  sake  of  Him 
who  first  embraced  it ;  his  vast  and  solid  achievements 
in  laying  the  foundation  of  future  churches  and  dioceses 
in  the  land  he  loved  so  well, — these  are  among  the 
rich  legacies  he  has  bequeathed  to  the  Church  of 
America. 

*  Authorities :    Catholic  Almanac ;  Annals  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith ; 
Original  Sources. 


Right  Rev.  Michael  Portier,  D.D.  439 

Michael  Portier  was  born  at  Mont-Brison,  in  the  dio- 
cese of  Lyons,  France,  September  7,  1795.  The  high 
vocation  of  devout  Catholic  parents,  and  the  blessing  it 
is  to  possess  such,  are  well  exemplified  in  his  case ;  for 
the  only  reminiscence  we  possess  of  his  early  youth  is 
the  account  of  the  overflowing  joy  and  hearty  encou- 
ragement he  received  from  his  pious  mother  when  he 
communicated  to  her  the  noble  resolve  he  had  formed  to 
embrace  a  religious  life.  Transplanted  at  an  early  age 
from  the  nursery  of  piety,  which  an  edifying  home  ever 
presents  to  the  gentle  and  tender  character  of  youth,  to 
the  Seminary  of  Lyons,  the  advent  of  the  illustrious 
Bishop  Dubourg  to  France,  in  quest  of  laborers  for  his 
vast  vineyard  in  the  sunny  South,  found  him  among  the 
most  promising  and  talented  of  the  Seminarians.  A 
profound  impression  was  made  upon  the  Catholic  heart 
of  France  by  the  stirring  appeal  of  this  apostolic  Prelate, 
one  of  her  own  sons,  who  was  also  just  appointed  to 
govern  a  spiritual  fold  once  planted  by  her  own  brave 
colonists,  and  still  speaking  her  own  beautiful  language. 
The  Church  of  Louisiana  was  not  unknown  to  France, 
for  the  history  of  it  was  adorned  throughout  by  the  de- 
votion of  French  missionaries,  and  by  the  prowess 
of  French  captains  and  explorers.  Young  Portier  was 
among  the  first  to  volunteer  for  the  mission  of  the 
South-west.  But  now  what  a  trial  was  presented  to  his 
soul  !  That  good  mother,  who  had  been  counting  the 
years,  and  was  probably  beginning  to  count  the  months 
and  days,  that  stood  between  her  and  the  sight  of  her 
son  as  a  priest  offering  sacrifice  on  the  altar  of  his 
native  France,  had  not  realized  the  sacrifice  she  was 
called  upon  to  make  in  giving  him  to  God  ;  but  even  a 
mother's  appeal  could  not  turn  the  young  soldier 


440  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

of  the  cross  from  the  chosen  field  of  his  generous  war- 
fare. 

"  Strong 

As  was  a  mother's  love  and  the  sweet  ties 
Religion  makes  so  beautiful  at  home, 
.     He  flung  them  from  him  in  his  eager  race, 
And  sought  the  broken  people  of  his  God, 
To  preach  to  them  of  Jesus  ! " 

Willifs  Sacred  Poems. 

But  he  did  all  to  assuage  a  mother's  sorrow ;  and  a 
beautiful  and  touching  letter  which  he  addressed  to  her, 
in  order  to  comfort  and  induce  her  to  embrace  the  cross, 
has  fortunately  found  a  merited  place  in  the  Annals  of 
the  Propagation  of  the  Faith.  * 

He  sailed  with  Bishop  Dubourg  from  Bordeaux  on 
the  Caravane,  a  French  ship  of  war,  with  upward  of 
thirty  companions,  and,  after  a  voyage  of  sixty-five 
days,  landed  at  Annapolis,  Maryland,  September  4, 
1817. 

He  was  among  those  who  remained  for  nearly  two 
months  under  the  hospitable  roof  of  Charles  Carroll  of 
Carrollton,  in  the  capital  of  Maryland.  He  thence  pro- 
ceeded to  Baltimore,  and  continued  his  studies  at  St. 
Mary's  Seminary,  where  he  also  applied  himself  earnestly 
to  the  study  of  English.  Here  he  also  received  Deacon's 
orders.  Proceeding  thence  to  St.  Louis,  then  within 
Bishop  Dubourg's  diocese,  he  received  ordination  as  a 
priest  at  the  hands  of  that  Prelate,  in  1818. 

The  zeal  which  had  prompted  his  self-dedication  to 
the  missions  now  found  full  scope.  The  pressing  wants 
of  the  country  left  no  leisure  for  the  missionary,  and 

*  Annales  de  la  Propagation,  etc.,  ii.  413,  note. 


Right  Rev.  Michael  Portier,  D.D.  441 

Father  Portier  gave  himself  up  to  the  most  untiring  and 
disinterested  works  of  charity  and  zeal.  When  the.  yel- 
low fever  ravaged  that  country,  during  the  first  year  of 
his  priesthood,  he  went  forth  a  messenger  of  relief  and 
salvation  to  the  sick  and  dying.  Devoting  himself  to 
others,  he  thought  nothing  of  himself,  and  was  soon 
prostrated  by  the  pestilence.  After  his  recovery,  he 
was  called  by  Bishop  Dubourg  to  New  Orleans,  then 
growing  in  population  and  importance.  The  interests 
of  Catholic  education  in  that  city  were  confided  to  and 
greatly  promoted  by  his  zealous  efforts.  He  established 
in  New  Orleans  a  collegiate  school  on  the  then  popular 
Lancasterian  plan,  and  was  exceedingly  successful  in 
the  work  of  educating  youth,  for  which  he  exhibited  re 
markable  talent.  With  three  companions  as  his  assist- 
ants, he  opened  his  College  in  the  building  vacated  by 
the  Ursuline  Nuns  on  their  removal  two  miles  below  the 
city ;  the  building  served  the  twofold  purpose  of  college 
and  episcopal  residence,  and  has  to  this  day  been  used 
for  the  latter  purpose.  One  of  his  companions  was 
struck  down  by  the  unsparing  hand  of  death  at  the  com- 
mencement of  his  efforts.  Father  Portier  has  left  in  his 
correspondence  a  record  of  this  sad  event,  so  damaging 
to  the  prospects  of  his  College ;  but  on  this  occasion,  as 
in  all  the  trying  positions  of  his  life,  his  heart  never 
faltered,  but  gathered  new  life  and  energy  from  disaster. 
He  was  thus  engaged,  and  was  progressing  most  suc- 
cessfully in  his  great  and  good  work,  when  the  Sove- 
reign Pontiffs  voice  summoned  him  to  a  yet  more  ardu- 
ous, extensive,  and  exalted  sphere.  Bishop  Dubourg 
intended  to  remove  the  college  of  Father  Portier  to  La- 
fourche,  where  he  had  acquired  a  large  tract  of  land,  and  to 
found  there  an  ecclesiastical  Seminary ;  but  his  removal  to 


44 2  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

France  prevented  him  from  doing  so.  The  Lazarist  Semi- 
inary  at  that  place,  subsequently  established,  may  have 
been  in  execution  of  this  plan.  During  his  sojourn  at 
New  Orleans,  Bishop  Portier  was  Vicar-General  to  Bishop 
Dubourg,  and  aided,  with  all  his  energy  and  talents,  that 
great  Bishop  in  his  various  religious  enterprises. 

Florida  had  now,  by  the  treaty  with  Spain,  been  ceded 
to  the  United  States,  and  shortly  afterwards  passed  from 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  Bishop  of  Havana  to  that  of  the 
Bishop  of  New  Orleans.  This  interesting  portion  of  our 
country  contains  the  oldest  European  settlement  within 
our  limits,  and  St.  Augustine  dates  its  origin  back  to 
1565,  when  its  foundation  was  laid,  September  7,  Festival 
of  Our  Lady's  Nativity,  in  whose  honor  a  solemn  Mass 
was  celebrated  beneath  the  canopy  of  the  vine  and  palm. 
"  It  is  by  more  than  forty  years,"  says  Bancroft,  "  the  old- 
est town  in  the  United  States.  Houses  in  it  are  yet  stand- 
ing which  are  said  to  have  been  built  many  years  before 
Virginia  was  colonized."  The  Holy  See  erected  the 
provinces  of  Alabama,  East  and  West  Florida,  and  Ar- 
kansas Territory,  into  a  Vicariate  Apostolic  in  1825,  at 
which  time  there  were  two  Catholic  churches  in  the  Ter- 
ritory :  one  at  St.  Augustine,  a  large,  substantial,  and  im- 
posing structure,  built  by  the  King  of  Spain,  and  the 
oldest  church  in  the  country ;  the  other  at  Pensacola,  a 
small  but  solid  Spanish  building.  The  population  of 
St.  Augustine  at  this  time  was  three  thousand  five  hun- 
dred, of  whom  three  thousand  were  C.atholics;  and  the 
population  of  Pensacola  was  composed  almost  entirely 
of  Catholics.  Dr.  Portier  was  appointed  Vicar- Apostolic 
of  this  new  flock,  and  the  Bulls  of  investiture  reached 
him  in  the  latter  part  of  1825.  He  promptly  declined 
the  proffered  honor,  in  his  humility  alleging  himself  un- 


Right  Rev.  Michael  Portier,  D.D.  443 

able  to  carry  so  great  a  burden.  He  yielded  finally  to  a 
peremptory  order  from  Rome,  and  prepared  for  his  con- 
secration by  a  spiritual  retreat.  He  received  consecra- 
tion at  St.  Louis,  from  the  hands  of  Bishop  Rosati, 
assisted  by  two  priests  instead  of  two  Bishops,  by  per- 
mission from  Rome,  one  of  whom  was  the  venerable 
Father  Donatianus  Oliver,  then  of  the  age  of  nearly 
eighty  years,  and  Rev.  W.  Quickenborn,  in  the  presence 
of  thirteen  other  priests,  a  goodly  number  of  young  ec- 
clesiastics, and  an  immense  and  devout  concourse  of  the 
laity,  on  Sunday,  November  5,  1826.  The  ceremony 
was  commenced  by  the  reading  of  the  mandate  of  the 
Pope,  commanding  the  consecration  and  overruling  the 
long  resistance  of  the  Bishop  elect.  Rev.  Father  De- 
thex  preached  the  consecration  sermon,  and  in  the 
evening  Bishop  Portier  preached  on  Divine  Providence, 
particularly  as  seen  in  the  establishment  of  the  Church. 
Dr.  Portier  was  thus  made  Bishop  of  Oleno  in  partibus 
and  Vicaj-Apostolic  of  the  Floridas. 

At  the  time  of  his  consecration  there  were  only  three 
priests  officiating  within  his  extensive  Vicariate,  two  be- 
longing to  the  diocese  of  New  Orleans,  and  one  to  that 
of  Charleston  ;  all  these  were  recalled  to  their  respective 
dioceses,  so  that  the  Bishop  was  the  only  clergyman  in 
the  country,  his  only  assistant  being  a  Subdeacon.  The 
poverty  with  which  he  entered  upon  his  exalted  career 
of  usefulness,  privation,  and  suffering,  was  worthy  of  the 
early  ages  of  the  Church.  He  wrote  to  a  friend:  "I 
need  two  or  three  priests,  and  dare  not  ask  for  them,  as 
1  am  afraid  I  cannot  now  support  them.  I  have  neither 
pectoral  cross,  nor  chapel,  nor  crozier,  nor  mitre."  He 
bore  this  extreme  poverty  with  meekness,  and  with  his 
wonted  good-humor,  a  vein  of  which  is  seen  in  a  letter 


444  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

he  wrote  to  another  friend,  in  which  he  said :  "  If  you 
can  buy  the  articles  without  any  money,  this  is  an  excel- 
lent way  that  I  relish  exceedingly." 

This  destitution  and  loneliness  only  added  to  his  zeal 
and  courage,  for  he  lost  no  time  in  proceeding  to  his 
diocese  and  commencing  the  arduous  task  which  God 
and  His  Church  had  prepared  for  him.  He  entered  first 
the  town  of  Mobile,  where  there  was  no  priest,  but  he 
gladdened  the  hearts  of  the  Catholics  of  that  place  by 
the  promise  of  a  pastor.  He  labored  incessantly  at  mis- 
sionary work  for  some  months  in  Mobile,  and  awakened 
the  spirit  of  faith  and  devotion  among  its  people.  He 
performed  the  first  baptism  in  this  place,  January  i,  1827. 
In  the  summer  of  this  year  he  went  upon  his  first  epis- 
copal visitation,  undeterred  by  the  fearful  heat  of  the 
season  and  the  dangerous  fevers  that  prevailed.  It  was 
said  of  him  this  summer,  "  that  this  zealous  Prelate  has 
already  endured  nearly  martyrdom  in  the  discharge  of 
his  arduous  task."  Having  reached  Pensacola,  he  un- 
dertook and  carried  through  the  preaching  of  a  spiritual 
retreat  at  that  place,  and  then  proceeded  on  horseback 
to  St.  Augustine,  stopping  on  the  way  to  preach  at  Talla- 
hasse  and  other  places.  He  arrived  at  St.  Augustine 
early  in  July,  and  in  the  midst  of  his  labors  there  was 
stricken  down  with  a  violent  fever,  from  which  he  barely 
escaped  with  his  life,  but  in  an  enfeebled  condition.  An 
intended  visit  to  Bishop  England,  of  Charleston,  in  the 
interests  of  his  Church,  was  unavoidably  abandoned  on 
account  of  his  weak  state  of  health.  No  sooner  was  he 
sufficiently  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  fever,  than 
he  resumed  with  redoubled  zeal  his  labors,  which  were 
rendered  vastly  more  difficult  by  reason  of  the  long 
neglect  of  religion  in  St.  Augustine,  and  the  ravages  of 


Right  Rev.  .Michael  For  tier,  D.D.  445 

shameful  scandals  amongst  the  Spanish  population  con- 
stituting- his  flock.  So  much  was  this  the  case  that  the 
Bishop  found  it  necessary  to  begin  with  fundamental  in- 
structions in  Christian  doctrine  and  moral  duty,  not  only 
for  the  young,  but  also  for  a  large  number  of  adults. 
He  preached  in  Spanish  every  Sunday  of  his  stay  in  St. 
Augustine,  except  the  two  that  he  was  prostrated  with 
fever,  and  his  audiences  were  composed  of  crowds  of 
Catholics  and  Protestants.  His  limited  stay  compelled 
him  to  labor  incessantly  in  this  long-neglected  city. 
During  his  sojourn  there,  which  lasted  till  the  latter  end 
of  September,  he  had  the  consolation  of  reaping  an  en- 
couraging harvest  from  his  labors.  During  these  few 
weeks  he  brought  many  hundreds  of  various  ages  back 
to  a  sense  of  their  religious  duties,  and  in  others  sowed 
the  good  seed  for  future  harvests.  He  confirmed  one 
hundred  and  two  persons  between  the  ages  of  ten  and 
thirty-five  years ;  administered  the  holy  Sacrament  of 
the  Eucharist  to  one  hundred  and  nineteen,  and  baptized 
forty  children,  whom,  as  well  as  many  adults,  he  sedu- 
lously instructed  in  their  faith  and  religious  duties.  The 
concourse  of  Protestants  who  flocked  to  his  sermons 
were  deeply  impressed  and  gratified,  and  seemed  to  for- 
get all  sectarian  differences  in  listening  to  the  pure  truths 
of  Christianity,  enforced  with  zeal  and  eloquence,  and 
aided  by  the  charm  of  a  graceful  and  happy  delivery. 
His  affability  and  genial  manners,  together  with  his  ele- 
vated and  religious  deportment,  made  during  his  brief 
stay  an  impression  which  caused  all  to  desire  his  speedy 
return.  The  demands  of  other  portions  of  his  flock 
upon  his  time  and  labors  compelled  him  to  leave  St. 
Augustine  for  other  fields,  in  all  of  which  he  witnessed 
great  religious  destitution  and  long  neglect ;  hundreds 


446  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

of  Catholics  straying  from  the  fold  for  want  of  pastors 
and  churches,  and  the  rising  generation  growing  up 
without  instruction  or  good  example.  Deeply  impressed 
with  the  destitution  of  his  flock,  and  the  necessity  for 
speedy  relief,  he  resolved  to  visit  Europe,  to  solicit 
means  and  procure  colaborers  for  the  work  to  be  done. 
Not  being  able  to  visk  Charleston,  he  earnestly  re- 
quested Bishop  England  to  retain  the  Vicar-Generalship 
of  East  Florida,  and  assist  that  part  of  his  flock  with  his 
own  services  and  the  aid  of  a  clergyman ;  a  request 
which  Dr.  England  showed  every  disposition  to  accede 
to  as  far  as  possible.  Having  induced  a  single  mission- 
ary priest  to  remain  in  the  Vicariate  during  his  absence, 
Bishop  Portier  hastened  his  preparations  to  go  abroad 
In  the  summer  of  1829  he  sailed  for  Europe.  Most 
of  his  time  was  spent  in  France,  and  spent  to  good  pur- 
pose ;  for,  besides  the  pecuniary  assistance  he  received, 
he  obtained  a  considerable  augmentation  of  his  clerical 
rorce.  He  sailed  homeward  November  i,  and  arrived 
su  New  Orleans  December  24,  1829,  accompanied  by 
two  priests,  one  of  whom  was  Father  Loras,  who  became 
his  Vicar-General,  and  subsequently  was  consecrated 
Bishop  of  Dubuque,  four  subdeacons,  and  two  clerics. 
He  and  his  companions  were  cordially  received  by  Fa- 
ther Moni,  pastor  of  the  Cathedral,  and  the  citizens  gen- 
erally at  New  Orleans,  where  he  had  many  friends. 
They  all  left  New  Orleans  in  a  schooner,  January  3, 
1 830,  and  arrived  safely  at  Mobile  on  the  6th,  and  though 
it  was  near  1 2  o'clock  in  the  day,  they  proceeded  at  once 
to  the  church,  where  he  and  Father  Loras  said  Mass, 
and  the  whole  company  united  with  the  joyous  people  in 
singing  the  Te  Deum.  The  Holy  See,  in  the  meantime, 
had  erected  the  separate  see  of  Mobile,  of  which  Bishop 


Right  Rev.  Michael  P or  tier,  D.D.  447 

Portier  was  appointed  the  incumbent,  so  that  he  availed 
himself  of  this  occasion  not  only  to  celebrate  his  safe  re- 
turn, but  also  his  installation  as  Bishop  of  Mobile.  The 
joy  of  the  Mobilians  in  welcoming  their  Prelate  to  his 
home  was  thus  expressed  at  the  time  by  one  of  them- 
selves :  "  The  arrival  of  Bishop  Portier  has  been  re- 
echoed throughout  the  Union  ;  -sweet  to  us  has  been  the 
moment  he  landed  on  our  shore,  accompanied  by  two 
priests,  four  subdeacons,  and  two  clerics.  Long  had 
the  hearts  of  the  Catholics  of  Mobile  wished  for  his 
coming.  A  pastor,  a  successor  of  the  Apostles,  has  been 
given  them;  they  could  not  forbear  to  anticipate  the 
happy  changes  which  now  take  place.  The  idea  filled 
them  with  joy ;  his  presence  diffuses  happiness  on  them ; 
his  amiable  disposition,  enlivened  by  his  piety,  has  linked 
him  close  to  our  hearts ;  his  young  clergy  unite  in 
his  efforts,  and  seem  to  promise  a  long  continuance  of 
days  devoted  to  the  purest  worship."  His  absence  in 
France  prevented  his  attendance  at  the  First  Provin- 
cial Council,  which  assembled  at  Baltimore  October  4, 
1829.  During  the  year  1827,  the  Catholic  church  at 
Mobile  had  been  destroyed  by  a  conflagation,  which  laid 
waste  a  large  portion  of  the  city ;  on  his  return,  the  Bishop 
found  a  small  frame  church  erected  there,  which  became 
his  Cathedral,  and  in  it  erected  his  humble  episcopal 
chair.  That  portion  of  his  diocese  known  as  East 
Florida  was,  on  the  erection  of  the  see  of  Savannah, 
attached  to  that  diocese ;  subsequently  it  again  became 
a  Vicariate  Apostolic,  and  so  remained  until  1870,  when 
East,  Middle,  and  South  Florida  were  erected  into  the 
diocese  of  St.  Augustine. 

His  little  Cathedral  was  twenty'  feet  by  thirty,  and 
stood  on  the  site  of  the  present  Cathedral ;   with  the 


448  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

means  he  received  in  Europe  he  enlarged  it,  and  it  re- 
mained his  Cathedral  church  until  1836,  when  a  temporary 
brick  church  was  erected  on  the  opposite  corner,  and 
was  so  constructed  as  to  be  easily  changed  into  dwellings 
or  for  other  useful  purposes,  and  now  forms  a  part  of  the 
Catholic  Female  Orphan  Asylum, — a  fine  institution, 
whose  front,  three  hundred  feet  long,  extends  from 
Franklin  to  Claiborne  street.  Bishop  Portier's  episco- 
pal palace  was  a  small  frame  house,  twenty-five  feet  by 
fifteen,  divided  into  two  rooms,  in  which  he  resided  for 
five  years. 

His  next  great  undertaking  was  the  founding  of  Spring 
Hill  College,  on  an  admirably  selected  site,  about  six 
miles  from  Mobile.  It  had  also  a  seminary  attached. 
He  appointed  Father  Loras  President  of  the  College, 
and  enriched  it  also  with  an  accomplished  corps  of  Pro- 
fessors in  ancient  and  modern  languages,  mathematics, 
and  sciences.  He  appealed  to  France,  while  abroad, 
for  the  means  to  found  this  institution,  so  dear  to  his 
heart,  and  was  thus  enabled  to  give  it  a  most  favorable 
and  solid  start.  The  institution'  was  for  many  years 
conducted  by  the  Eudists,  and  was  for  a  time  confided 
to  the  Fathers  of  Mercy,*  and,  in  1846,  to  the  Jesuit 
Fathers  from  the  province  of  Lyons,  who  have  to  this 
day  conducted  it  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  it  an 
ornament  and  a  blessing  to  the  South,  and  a  noble  monu- 
ment of  its  gifted  and  generous  founder. 

Having  accomplished  these  works,  and  seen  his  Col- 
lege in  full  operation,  Bishop  Portier  started  forth  on  the 

*  The  members  of  this  fine  religious  Order,  founded  in  France  by  Father  Rauzan, 
are  flow  in  New  York,  where  they  are  conducting  an  admirable  educational  institute, 
which,  under  their  skilful  management,  gives  present  promise  of  great  services  to  the 
cause  of  education,  and  begins  already  to  expand  into  the  future  College  of  St. 
Louis. 


Right  Rev.  Michael  Portier,  D.D.  449 

second  visitation  of  his  diocese.  On  this,  as  on  the  first 
visitation,  he  labored  untiringly  and  accomplished  im- 
mense good  for  his  people,  stopping  at  many  places, 
and  wherever  he  saw  an  opportunity  of  benefiting  any 
portion  of  his  flock.  He  extended  his  journey  as  far  as 
St.  Augustine,  and  here  he  continued  the  good  work  he 
had  so  successfully  commenced  a  few  years  before.  His 
journey  from  St.  Augustine  back  to  Mobile  was  accom- 
plished under  many  difficulties  and  mishaps,  which  serve 
to  show  how  our  early  Prelates,  in  many  instances, 
traveled  through  their  dioceses ;  but  the  good-humoi 
and  cheerfulness  of  our  noble  traveler  carried  him  un- 
ruffled, though  slightly  bruised,  to  the  end  of  his  journey. 
At  St.  Augustine  he  purchased  a  horse  and  gig,  with 
which  to  make  the  long  and  rough  journey,  and  wrote 
to  a  seminarian  at  Spring  Hill  College  to  meet  him  at 
Tallahassee,  and  to  bring  with  him  gun  and  ammunition, 
with  which  to  provide  themselves  with  food  from  the 
forests  on  the  way,  as  provisions  were  scarce  and  hotels 
unknown.*  The  Bishop  and  seminarian  met  at  the  ap- 
pointed place,  and  on  the  following  day  started  for  Pen- 
sacola.  On  the  second  day  after  leaving  Tallahassee 
the  horse  broke  down,  and  the  Bishop  had  to  exchange 
him  for  another,  of  whose  good  or  bad  qualities  he 
knew  as  little  as  the  trader  who  took  the  Bishop's  lame 
horse  knew  or  cared  to  know  of  the  latter.  It  turned 
out  that  the  Bishop's  new  horse  had  never  before  gone 
in  harness,  and  submitted  with  a  bad  grace  to  the  epis- 
copal reins  and  lash.  On  the  second  day,  at  a  small 
place  called  Webbville,  he  utterly  rebelled  ;  for  no  sooner 
was  the  Bishop  seated  in  the  gig,  than  the  horse  started 
off  at  his  best  speed,  and,  running  against  a  large  stump, 
threw  the  Bishop  out  on  his  face.  Fortunately  no  serious 
29 


450  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

injury  was  sustained.  It  was  a  difficult  task  to  purchase 
a  saddle  in  that  region,  but  this  was  finally  accomplished, 
and  the  Bishop  and  seminarian  accomplished  the  rest  of 
the  journey  on  horseback.  The  animal  having  brought 
the  Bishop  to  his  own  terms,  offered  no  resistance  to 
the  double  burden. 

In  1832  Bishop  Portier,  ever  intent  on  providing  the 
means  of  education  for  his  flock,  applied  to  the  Visi- 
tation Nuns  at  Georgetown,  in  the  District  of  Columbia, 
for  a  colony  of  their  Order  to  take  charge  of  a  female 
academy  in  his  diocese.  The  Sisters  of  the  Visitation 
readily  responded  to  his  call,  and  in  the  same  year  the 
Nuns  arrived  in  Mobile,  and  immediately  commenced 
their  school  in  a  house  rented  by  the  Bishop  for 
them.  In  1833  he  commenced  the  erection  of  a  Con- 
vent, as  a  permanent  home  for  these  good  Sisters,  at 
Summerville,  three  miles  from  Mobile,  which  they  took 
possession  of  the  same  year.  This  institution  still  con- 
tinues to  adorn  and  bless  the  diocese  of  Mobile,  and  is 
now  a  flourishing  academy,  with  nearly  a  hundred 
pupils.  Providence  protected  these  pious  ladies  in  a 
miraculous  manner  shortly  after  they  moved  into  their 
new  Convent  While  the  nuns  were  seated  at  their 
evening  meal,  a  portion  of  that  part  of  the  building  in 
which  they  were  was  utterly  destroyed  by  a  violent 
storm  The  lives  of  all  were  in  imminent  danger,  when 
the  roof,  which  the  storm  had  lifted  entire  from  its  place, 
lighted  gently  over  the  place  where  they  were,  covering 
them  completely,  and  thus  protecting  them  from  the 
falling  ruins. 

The  Bishop's  next  effort  was  the  erection  of  a  plain 
but  substantial  dwelling  for  himself  and  clergy.  This  he 
accomplished  with  wonderful  success  for  one  who  had 


Right  Rev.  Michael  Portier,  D.D.  451 

.»o  ,'ittle.  The  episcopal  residence  stands  on  the  lot 
adjoining  the  Cathedral,  and  remains  still  occupied  by 
the  present  Bishop  of  Mobile. 

One  of  the  crowning  works  of  Bishop  Portier's  epis- 
copate was  the  erection  of  the  fine  Cathedral  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception  at  Mobile.  This  important  work 
had  frequently  occupied  his  thoughts,  and  as  early  as 
1835  he  taid  the  corner-stone  with  solemnity:  Arch- 
bishop Purcell,  of  Cincinnati,  preached  the  sermon  on  the 
occasion.  The  Bishop,  however,  was  not  pleased  with 
the  plan,  and  suspended  the  work  for  a  time,  and  re- 
sumed it  again  in  1838.  The  progress  of  the  building 
was  again  suspended  in  -consequence  of  the  financial 
embarrassments  of  the  country,  and  was  resumed  again 
in  the  summer  of  1844,  and  was  then  steadily  prosecuted 
until  the  whole  was  completed  in  1850.  It  was  sol- 
emnly consecrated,  December  8,  1850,  by  the  Right 
Rev.  Bishop  Reynolds,  of  Charleston,  at  the  invitation 
of  Bishop  Portier,  on  which  occasion  the  Right  Rev. 
Bishop  Spalding  preached  the  dedication  sermon. 

It  has  truly  been  saifl  by  the  people  of  Mobile  that 
Bishop  Portier  laid  the  foundations  and  reared  to  ma- 
turity the  great  charities  and  institutions  of  their  diocese. 
Besides  those  already  mentioned  are  the  orphan  asylums 
of  that  city.  The  cholera,  which  visited  that  region  in 
1839,  left  many  orphan  children;  but  these  destitute 
ones  found  §.  tender  parent  in  Bishop  Portier.  Gather- 
ing them  together,  and  providing  for  them  a  home,  he 
confided  them  to  the  care  of  a  committee  of  pious  and 
charitable  ladies.  In  due  time  he  procured  the  services 
of  Sisters  of  Charity  from  Emmittsburg,  under  the  di- 
rection of  the  good  Sister  Martina,  so  well  known  for 
her  charities  and  goodness  in  Maryland  and  the  District 


45 2  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

of  Columbia,  before  she  blessed  Mobile  with  her  pres- 
ence. These  good  Sisters  took  charge  of  the  boys  and 
girls  until  they  were  relieved  of  the  boys  by  the  Brothers 
of  Christian  Instruction,  whom  the  Bishop  procured  from 
the  diocese  of  Lyons  in  1847.  Thus  flourishing  asylums 
for  boys  and  girls  were  permanently  founded ;  to  the 
boys'  asylum  were  attached  a  labor  school,  a  pay  school 
with  fifty  scholars,  and  a  free  school  with  the  same  num- 
ber; and  to  the  girls'  asylum  pay  and  free  schools,  the 
former  with  fifty  and  the  latter  with  sixty  scholars. 
These  institutions  have  become  at  this  time  among  the 
finest  houses  of  the  kind  in  the  country.  The  establish- 
ment of  poor  schools  became  a  leading  object  of  Bishop 
Portier's  efforts,  and  in  these  generous  labors  he  was 
greatly  aided  and  relieved  by  the  Sisters  of  Charity  and 
Brothers  of  Christian  Instruction.  Intent  on  furnishing 
to  all  the  means  of  education,  he  established  at  St. 
Augustine  a  female  academy.  But  the  religious  Order 
to  which  it  was  confided  did  not  succeed  in  gaining  a 
permanent  and  successful  settlement,  and  the  institution 
was  discontinued.  The  Bishop's  Ecclesiastical  Seminary 
enabled  him  to  supply  good  and  zealous  priests  to  the 
southern  and  northern  portions  of  his  diocese.  He  se- 
cured aid  from  time  to  time  from  the  Society  for  the  Pro- 
pagation of  the  Faith,  which  he  applied  in  building 
churches  and  extending  his  missions.  Tuscaloosa,  for 
many  years  the  capital  of  Alabama,  was  enriched  by  him 
with  a  fine  church  and  permanent  pastor,  and  provided 
with  assistance  to  the  needy  congregation  there  in  sup- 
porting the  priest.  This  is  but  one  of  many  cases 
in  which  he  gave  all  for  the  extension  of  the  Church  in 
his  diocese.  He  took  great  pleasure  in  attending  the 
dedication  of  these  various  churches  and  institutions, 


Right  Rev.  Michael  Portier,  D.D.  453 

making  each  one  the  occasion  of  a  great  religious  awak- 
ening amongst  the  people  of  the  town.  The  beautiful 
ceremony  of  dedicating  the  church  at  Tuscaloosa,  Janu- 
ary 25,  1846,  and  the  eloquent  and  powerful  sermon  the 
Bishop  preached,  are  to  this  day  among  the  happy 
recollections  of  the  Catholics  of  that  place.  The 
churches  of  Mobile  he  increased  to  three.  St.  Vincent's 
was  commenced  and  finished  in  1847,  having  had  its 
origin  in  a  generous  movement  for  supplying  church  ac- 
commodations for  the  more  needy  Catholics  of  the  town. 
Subsequently  the  Jesuits  built  St.  Joseph's  in  the  north- 
western section.  The  destitute  state  of  the  diocese  when 
he  was  appointed  Bishop,  without  priests,  and  with  only 
three  churches,  has  already  been  described  :  by  his  great 
exertions  he  gave  to  it  twenty-seven  priests  and  twelve 
churches ;  a  college,  fourteen  schools,  three  academies 
for  boys,  and  the  same  number  for  girls,  two  orphan 
asylums,  an  infirmary,  and  free  schools. 

In  September,  1849,  Bishop  Portier  visited  Europe  on 
business  for  his  diocese.  He  frequently  took  part  in  the 
solemn  ceremonies  of  episcopal  consecrations,  church 
dedications,  and  did  all  in  his  power  in  such  cases  to 
promote  the  cause  of  religion  and  the  glory  of  the 
Church  in  this  country.  He  sat  in  the  various  Councils 
of  the  American  Church  at  Baltimore,  including  the  first 
National  Council  in  1852,  at  which  he  was  the  senior 
member  of  the  Hierarchy.  He  also  attended  the  First 
Provincial  Council  of  New  Orleans  in  1856,  and  preach- 
ed the  opening  sermon. 

The  last  important  work  of  charity  accomplished  by 
Bishop  Portier  was  the  erection  of  Providence  Infirmary, 
which  he  placed  under  the  care  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity. 
It  was  to  this  fine  institution  that  he  retired  when  he 


454  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

found  himself  attacked  with  the  painful  and  tedious  disease 
of  dropsy.  He  suffered  long  and  patiently,  and  during 
his  distressing  malady  preserved  his  life -long  cheerful- 
ness, devotion,  and  patience.  He  expired  at  the  Infirmary, 
May  14,  1859,  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  his  age  and  the 
thirty -third  of  his  episcopate.  He  was  buried  in  his  own 
Cathedral,  amidst  the  solemn  requiem  and  chants  of 
the  church,  the  sobs  and  tears  of  his  flock,  and  the 
grief  of  the  American  Church,  which  felt  that  in  him  she 
had  lost  a  patriarch.  The  people  of  Mobile  had  a  fine 
portrait  of  the  deceased  Prelate  painte.d  and  presented 
to  Father  Chalon,  his  Vicar-General  and  kinsman,  re- 
questing, as  they  said,  that  "  it  be  placed  where  it  may 
be  seen  by  his  many  friends,  who,  pointing  it  out  to  the 
rising  generation,  will  tell  the  many  labors  and  successes 
of  a  man  so  good,  of  a  pontiff  so  zealous."  They  also 
erected  a  beautiful  monument,  of  which  Father  Chalon, 
at  the  time,  appropriately  wrote  : — "  Here  over  his  re- 
mains, pointed  out  by  the  monument,  the  poor  will  come 
and  pray  for  their  father ;  the  rich  will  come  here  and 
remember  his  •  advice.  They  will  say,  '  he  has  been 
so  kind,  so  charitable,  that  he  must  be  in  grace  with 
God.'" 

Of  him  it  was  well  said : — "  The  purity  of  his  life,  the 
charity  and  kindness  which  he  manifested  on  all  occa- 
sions, gained  him  the  affection  and  esteem  of  both  Catho- 
lics and  Protestants,  and  caused  his  death  to  be  regretted 
by  all  classes  of  his  fellow-citizens  with  feelings  of  pro- 
found sorrow  and  regret."  By  a  non- Catholic  journal  of 
the  day  it  was  said : — "  By  his  suavity  of  manner,  liber- 
ality of  sentiment,  deeds  of  benevolence  and  charity, 
he  obtained  an  influence  and  a  general  esteem  which  are 
among  the  best  human  testimonies  of  a  well-ordered 


Right  Rev.  Michael  Portier,  D.D.  455 

life."  By  another : — "  He  was  learned,  of  sound  judg- 
ment, strictly  upright  and  just  in  all  his  thoughts  and 
actions,  and  guileless  as  became  a  Christian." 

While  Bishop  Portier  himself  laid  no  claim  to  author- 
ship, the  Annals  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith  have 
preserved  for  the  Church  some  admirable  letters  from 
his  pen.  Among  them  are,  Notice  sur  M.  Andre  Fer- 
rary, Vol.  I.,  No.  2,  p.  57 ;  two  letters  dated  at  New  Or- 
leans, April,  15,  1818,  Vol.  I.,  No.  5  ;  three  letters  to  h'is 
mother,  two  in  1817,  Vol.  II.,  p.  413  n.,  and  the  other  at 
p.  419;  letters  to  Abbe  Colleton,  New  Orleans,  August 
31,  1826,  p.  416;  letters  to  Abbe  Cantal,  Pensacola, 
January  22,  1827;  another  to  the  same,  May  10,  1827, 
p.  424 ;  Journal  of  his  Journey  from  Pensacola  to  St. 
Augustine,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  73  ;  Letter  to  the  Editor  of  the 
Annals,  Spring  Hill,  January  16,  1831,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  693  ; 
another  to  the  same,  Mobile,  August  19,  1831,  p.  617; 
another,  December  23,  p.  447;  another  in  1852,  Vol. 
XXIV.,  p.  150.  They  are  all  beautiful  mementoes  of  his 
virtues  as  a  Christian  and  of  his  zeal  as  an  apostle. 


MOST  REV.  JAMES  WHITFIELD,  D.D., 

Fourth  Archbishop  of  Baltimore,  A.D.  1828.* 

JAMES  WHITFIELD  was  a  native  of  England,  and  was 
bofn  at  Liverpool,  November  3,  1770.  His  father,  Mr. 
James  Whitfield,  who  was  a  respectable  and  successful 
merchant  of  that  city,  gave  his  son  the  benefit  of  a  liberal 
education,  in  the  acquisition  of  which  the  high  minded 
youth  industriously  co-operated  with  his  generous  pa- 
rents. Deprived  of  his  father  by  the  unsparing  hand  of 
death  when  he  wa»  on'y  seventeen  years  old,  the  manly 
youth  assumed  at  once  the  position  of  companion  and 
protector  of  his  mother.  In  order  to  divert  her  thoughts 
from  her  late  bereavement,  and  to  restore  her  failing 
health,  he  accompanied  her  to  Italy,  where  they  remained 
some  time,  during  which  young  Whitfield,  who  had  been 
trained  up  to  habits  of  industry  and  enterprise,  embarked 
in  commercial  pursuits.  On  his  return  from  Italy  to  his 
native  country,  and  while  he  was  passing  through 
France,  he  was  overtaken  by  the  promulgation  and  en- 
forcement of  Napoleon's  decree,  which  regarded  and 
treated  all  Englishmen  then  in  France  as  prisoners. 
The  hand  of  Providence  turned  his  exile  into  a  blessing, 
and  thus  teaches  us  a  lesson  how  the  most  distressing 
and  annoying  circumstances  of  this  life  may  be  used  to 
our  advantage  in  life  eternal.  The  greater  part  of  this 
period  of  detention  in  France  he  spent  at  Lyons,  where 

*  Authorities:  Catholic  Almanac,  1837;  Catholic  Miscellany,  1828,  1829,  and 
1830;  Bishop  England's  Works  ;  Catholic  Magazine,  1846;  De  Courcy  and  Shea's 
Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States  ;  etc.,  etc. 


Most  Rev.  James  Whitfield,  D.D.  457 

he  had  the  happiness  of  forming  the  acquaintance  of  the 
Rev.  Ambrose  Marechal,  who  was  then  Professor  of 
Theology  at  that  city.  It  was  only  the  eye  of  Divine 
Providence  that  saw  at  that  time,  in  this  pious  priest 
and  in  the  pure-minded  youth  who  sought  his  society, 
two  future  chiefs  of  the  American  Church.  The  native 
piety  of  young  Whitfield  was  fostered  by  his  good  and 
zealous  friend,  and,  yielding  to  his  own  predispositions 
and  the  gentle  influences  by  which  he  was  surrounded, 
he  entered  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Lyons  as  a  stu- 
dent of  the  divine  science  under  the  learned  and  accom- 
plished Marechal.  He  became  so  distinguished  among 
his  fellow-students  for  his  solid  judgment  and  persever- 
ing industry,  thc.t  he  was  a  model  to  his  class,  and  tho 
venerable  Archbishop  Marechal  always  took  pleasure  in 
relating  the  circumstance  of  the  members  of  the  school 
requesting  him  to  cause  the  young  Englishman  to  re- 
cite, in  order  that  they  might  enjoy  and  benefit  from  the 
elegance  of  his  diction  and  the  perspicuity  of  his  argu- 
ments. After  completing  a  thorough  course  of  theology, 
he  was  ordained  in  the  holy  priesthood  at  the  city  of 
Lyons  in  1809.  He  now  sustained  a  sad  loss  in  the 
death  of  the  good  mother  to  whom  he  had  been  so  de- 
voted, and  to  whom  he  had  been  so  true  a  son.  He 
soon  after  returned  to  England,  and  was  engaged  in  the 
duties  of  his  high  calling  as  parish  priest  at  the  town  of 
Crosby,  which  he  continued  for  several  years  with  fidelity 
and  zeal. 

In  the  course  of  time  Mr.  Marechal  had  returned  to 
the  United  States,  where  he  had  previously  served  as  a 
priest,  and  had  been  elevated  to  the  Archiepiscopal  chair 
of  Baltimore.  Remembering  the  good  qualities  and 
high  attainments  of  the  young  exile  of  Lyons,  who  was 


458  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

now  a  parish  priest  in  England,  the  Archbishop  wrote 
letters  of  earnest  entreaty  to  his  former  friend  that  he 
would  come  to  America,  and  give  his  services  to  the  flock 
of  Christ  in  that  vast  and  needy  field  of  labor.  Mr. 
Whitfield,  guided  by  the  unerring  finger  of  Providence, 
complied  with  the  request,  and  sought  again,  in  exile 
from  his  native  country,  the  companionship  of  the  gifted 
Marechal.  He  arrived  in  the  United  States  September 
8,  1817,  and  was  immediately  appointed  one  of  the  pas- 
tors of  St.  Peter's  Church  in  Baltimore,  the  duties  of 
which  station  he  continued  for  a  number  of  years  to 
discharge  with  remarkable  ability  and  zeal.  In  1825 
Archbishop  Marechal,  by  special  indult  from  the  Court 
of  Rome,  conferred  upon  Mr.  Whitfield  and  two  other 
eminent  ecclesiastics  of  Baltimore  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity.  "  The  ceremony  was  one  of  the 
highest  interest  to  the  Catholics  of  that  city,  who  hailed 
with  joy  the  commencement  of  a  Theological  Faculty  on 
this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  the  brilliant  opening  of 
which  promised  to  shed  so  much  glory  on  the  American 
Church." 

It  was  in  the  same  year,  1825,  that  the  religious  com- 
munity of  the  Sisters  Oblates  of  St.  Frances  was  ap- 
proved by  Archbishop  Marechal.  This  community  was 
composed  of  colored  nuns,  who  devoted  themselves  to  the 
religious  education  of  children  of  the  same  color.  They 
were  allowed  to  take  vows,  and,  in  1831,  the  Holy  See 
bestowed  upon  them  the  same  privileges  and  indul- 
gences that  were  enjoyed  by  the  Oblates  of  Rome.  Dr. 
Whitfield  was  a  warm  friend  and  patron  of  this  institu- 
tion, and  seconded  the  efforts  of  their  founder,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Joubert,  in  placing  their  Institute  upon  a  solid  and 
flourishing  basis.  The  interest  which  Dr.  Whitfield  felt 


Most  Rev.  James  Whitfield,  D.D.  459 

in  the  eternal  welfare  of  the  negroes  was  the  prompting 
of  Catholic  charity.  Their  dependence  on  the  white 
race  did  not  exempt  them  from  the  duty  of  saving  their 
souls,  and  the  obligation  imposed  upon  their  masters  of 
giving  them  the  opportunities  of  doing  so  was  always  in- 
culcated by  the  Catholic  Church  and  appreciated  by 
Catholic  masters.  In  1832,  when  Archbishop  Whitfield 
wrote  on  this  subject : — "  How  distressing  it  is  to  be  un- 
able to  send  missionaries  to  Virginia,  where  there  are 
five  hundred  thousand  negroes  !  It  is  indubitable  that 
had  we  missionaries  and  funds  to  support  them,  prodigies 
would  be  effected  in  this  vast  and  unfilled  field.  In  Mary- 
land blacks  are  converted  every  day,  and  many  of  them 
are  good  Catholics  and  excellent  Christians.  At  Baltimore 
many  are  frequent  communicants,  and  three  hundred  or 
four  hundred  receive  the  Blessed  Sacrament  the  first  Sun- 
day of  every  month.  It  is  the  same  throughout  Maryland, 
where  there  are  a  great  many  Catholics  among  the 
negroes."  These  views  were  equally  participated  in  by 
his  successor,  Archbishop  Eccleston,  who,  in  1838, 
wrote : — "  The  slaves  present  a  vast  and  rich  harvest  to 
the  apostolic  laborer.  I  do  not  believe  that  there  is  in 
this  country,  without  excepting  the  Indians,  a  class  of 
men  a.mong  whom  it  is  possible  to  do  more  good.  But 
far  from  being  able  to  do  what  I  would  desire  for  the 
salvation  of  the  unhappy  negroes,  I  see  myself  unable  to 
meet  the  wants  of  the  thousands  of  whites  who,  equally 
deprived  of  the  succors  of  religion,  feel  most  keenly 
their  spiritual  abandonment."  In  1866  we  have  seen 
how  these  sentiments  and  this  solicitude  for  the  salva- 
tion of  the  black  population  of  the  country,  now  free, 
have  been  approved  and  enjoined  by  the  Holy  See  upon 
the  American  Prelates,  then  about  to  assemble  in  Na- 


. 

460  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

tional  Council  at  Baltimore,  and  how  the  voice  of  Rome 
was  re-echoed  and  enforced  by  that,  the  most  dignified 
and  numerous  ecclesiastical  body  that  had  yet  assembled 
together  in  council  on  this  continent. 

When  the  health  of  Archbishop  Marechal  began  to 
fail,  he  requested  of  the  Holy  See  the  appointment  of  a 
Coadjutor  Bishop,  with  the  right  to  succeed  to  the 
episcopal  chair  of  Baltimore.  He  placed  the  name  of 
Dr.  Whitfield  first  on  the  list  of  candidates,  and  the 
Papal  Brief  of  January  8,  1828,  was  issued  appointing 
that  distinguished  ecclesiastic  Coadjutor,  with  the  title 
of  Bishop  of  Apollonia  in  partibus  infidelium.  When 
the  brief  arrived  at  Baltimore,  Archbishop  Marechal  had 
departed  this  life.  The  saintly  Bishop  Flaget,  of  Bards 
town,  was  selected  to  consecrate  the  new  Archbishop, 
and  so  deeply  affected  was  that  venerable  Prelate  with 
the  august  function  he  was  thus  called  upon  to  perform, 
that  on  Ascension  Day  he  entered  into  a  spiritual  retreat 
with  the  Prelate  elect,  as  a  meet  preparation  of  his  heart 
and  soul  for  so  important  an  occasion.  "This  Sunday 
of  Pentecost,"  says  Archbishop  Spalding,  in  his  bio- 
graphy of  Bishop  Flaget,  "was  the  most  grand,  the  mont 
august,  the  most  honorable  day  that  ever  shone  on  the 
Bishop  of  Bardstown."  Bishop  Flaget  accordingly  con- 
secrated Dr.  Whitfield  as  Archbishop  of  Baltimore,  on 
Whit-Sunday,  May  25,  1828. 

Archbishop  Whitfield  addressed  himself  at  once  to 
the  arduous  duties  of  his  vast  diocese,  in  addition  to 
which  he  had  to  discharge  the  labors  of  Administrator 
of  the  diocese  of  Richmond.  Favored  by  Providence 
with  an  ample  fortune,  he  devoted  it  freely  to  the  cause 
of  religion,  in  building  churches,  providing  priests  for 
them,  and  for  the  support  of  those  priests,  in  erecting 


Most  Rev.  James  Whitfield,  D.D.  461 

institutions  of  piety,  education,  and  charity,  and  in  pro- 
moting the  cause  of  religion.  He  appealed,  as  his  prede- 
cessor had  done  and  had  recommended  him  to  do,  to  the 
King  of  France  and  to  his  Grand  Almoner,  and  to  the 
Association  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,  for  aid  in 
so  great  a  work.  His  letter  addressed  to  the  Associa- 
tion for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,  in  which  he  gave 
a  minute  account  of  the  state  of  religion  in  his  arch- 
diocese, is  a  most  valuable  contribution  to  the  religious, 
history  of  this  country.  These  appeals  were  not  made 
in  vain,  for  there  was  received  from  the  Association  be- 
tween the  years  1825  and  1834,  for  the  archdiocese  of 
Baltimore,  the  sum  of  thirty-two  thousand  francs.  There 
was  also  appropriated  a  certain  sum  for  Mt.  St.  Mary's 
College.  Louis  XVIII.  and  Charles  X.  of  France  also 
sent  through  their  Grand  Almoners,  on  several  occa- 
sions, offerings  for  the  archdiocese. 

On  the  eleventh  of  September,  1828,  Archbishop 
Whitfield  laid  the  corner-stone  of  the  Orphan  Asylum 
at  Baltimore,  of  which  he  and  his  predecessor  were 
munificent  patrons.  The  first  part  of  the  inscription  de- 
posited in  the  corner-stone  reads  as  follows:— 

To  the 

Glory  of  Almighty  God, 
Under  the  auspices  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 

The  corner-stone  of  this  edifice 

(St.  Mary's  Catholic  Female  Orphan  Asylum, 

Established  by  the  Most  Rev.  Ambrose  Mar6chal,  A.D.  1819. 

And  of  which  he  was  a  most  liberal  benefactor  : ) 

Destined  for  the  education  of  Orphans,  poor  children, 

And  others  who  may  be  entrusted  to  its  protection, 

Was  laid 

By  the  Most  Rev.  James  Whitfield, 

The  Fourth  Archbishop  of  Baltimore,  &c.,  &c., 

ii  Septemb.,  MDCCCXXVIII. 


462  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

The  Archbishop  closed  the  touching  address,  which  he 
delivered  on  this  occasion,  with  these  words:  "Under 
the  divine  protection,  this  asylum  will  rise  and  subsist 
for  ages  to  come:  May  the  Spirit  of  God  always  dwell 
in  it,  preserve. all  who  are  to  inhabit  it,  and  bless  all  who 
contribute  to  its  support." 

In  October  and  November  of  this  year  the  Arch- 
bishop was  engaged  in  the  visitation  of  the  two  dioceses 
under  his  charge.  No  place  in  Maryland  or  Virginia, 
where  there  were  Catholics  to  be  visited,  was  over- 
looked by  this  apostolical  man  in  his  laborious  expedi- 
tion. He  administered  confirmation  at  numerous  sta- 
tions to  large  numbers,  many  of  whom  were  converts. 
He  laid  the  corner-stones  of  new  churches,  and  selected 
the  sites  for  others.  In  every  place  and  in  every  family 
that  he  visited  he  left  a  blessing,  and  the  gentle  but  ear- 
nest words  which  he  then  addressed  both  to  assemblies 
and  individuals,  fructified  in  after  years  in  abundant  har- 
vests. If  the  venerable  Prelate  was  grieved  at  seeing 
the  want  of  churches  and  the  scarcity  of  priests  in  Mary- 
land, how  much  more  was  his  paternal  heart  filled  with 
solicitude,  when  he  entered  the  vast  diocese  of  Rich- 
mond, spread  over  seventy  thousand  square  miles,  and 
with  a  population  then  of  a  million  and  a  quarter  of 
souls,  and  found  but  three  priests  in  this  great  field — two 
at  Norfolk,  and  one  at  Richmond!  During  this  visita- 
tion the  Archbishop  gave  generously  from  his  private 
means  for  the  relief  of  his  scattered  flock,  and  upon  his 
return  to  Baltimore,  after  an  absence  of  several  laborious 
weeks,  he  redoubled  his  appeals  to  Catholic  Europe  for 
aid  in  supplying  the  wants  of  his  impoverished  church. 

He  found  on  his  return,  and  awaiting  him  in  his  Metro- 
politan City,  a  communication  from  Rome,  conferring 


Most  Rev.  James   Whitfield,  D.D.  463 

upon  him  all  the  powers  which  are  attached  to  the  use 
of  the  Pallium  in  the  interval,  until  it  could  be  regularly 
transmitted,  which  was  immediately  after  the  next  con- 
sistory of  Cardinals  at  Rome. 

The  great  glory  of  the  administration  of  Archbishop 
Whitfield  was  the  assembling  around  him  at  Baltimore 
of  the  Prelates  of  the  American  Church  in  the  First 
Provincial  Council  held  in  this  country.  Long  had  the 
Bishops  of  the  United  States  been  anxious  for  such  as- 
semblies to  be  held,  in  order  that  by  combined  action 
much  could  be  accomplished,  which  was  impossible  of 
attainment  by  the  individual  Prelates  separately.  Dif- 
ficulties had  heretofore  stood  in  the  way  of  holding  such 
synods  or  councils,  and  Archbishop  Whitfield  undertook 
to  remove  them.  No  sooner  is  he  invested  with  the 
powers  conferred  by  the  granting  of  the  Pallium,  than 
he  determined  on  summoning  his  colleagues  and  suffra- 
gans to  meet  in  council,  and  in  order  that  they  might 
have  ample  time  to  consider  and  investigate  the  condi- 
tion of  their  respective  dioceses,  ascertain  their  wants 
and  necessities,  and  devise  the  plans  and  means  of  sup- 
plying them,  he  issued  notices  for  them  to  assemble  at 
Baltimore  on  October  4,  1829.  This  summons  was  re- 
ceived and  hailed  by  the  Bishops  with  great  joy,  who 
congratulated  their  flocks  on  this  event,  so  auspicious  to 
the  Church  and  so  fraught  with  future  blessings  to  them 
and  their  posterity. 

This  venerable  assembly  took  place  on  Sunday,  Oc- 
tober 4,  1829,  at  the  Cathedral  at  Baltimore.  The 
Archbishop  celebrated  a  solemn  High  Mass,  and  on  the 
same  occasion  received  from  the  hands  of  the  venerable 
Bishop  Flaget  the  investiture  of  the  Pallium,  which 
had  been  transmitted  from  Rome.  Bishop  England 


464  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

preached  the  opening  sermon,  which  was  marked  by 
that  ability,  learning,  and  zeal  for  which  that  eminent 
Prelate  was  distinguished.  He  had  been  a  warm  advo- 
cate for  the  calling  of  a  Council  ever  since  his  appoint- 
ment as  a  member  of  the  American  Hierarchy,  and 
great  must  have  been  his  satisfaction  in  witnessing  the 
consummation  of  his  long-cherished  desires.  During 
the  Council,  the  Bishops  held  a  morning  session  con- 
ducted by  the  Prelates  alone,  and  in  the  afternoon  a 
session  at  which  they  were  attended  by  the  clergy  of  the 
second  order,  who  acted  as  theologians,  and  to  whom, 
as  committees,  various  questions  were  referred  for  their 
examination  and  report.  At  this  session  the  reports 
were  received  and  considered,  and  conclusions  thereon 
arrived  at  by  the  Bishops.  The  principal  subjects  con- 
sidered and  acted  upon  by  the  Council  related  to  disci- 
pline, morals,  and  the  administration  of  the  sacraments. 
The  Council  closed  on  Sunday,  October  18,  and  resulted 
in  the  adoption  of  thirty-eight  decrees,  prescribing  regu- 
lations for  the  conduct  of  the  clergy,  and  wholesome  in- 
structions for  the  laity.  These  were  submitted  to  Pope 
Pius  VIII.  for  his  approval,  and  were  returned  with  his 
approbation,  through  the  Congregation  "  de  Propaganda 
Fide,"  to  America,  October  16,  1830, 'and  published. 

The  Council  was  attended  by  Archbishop  Whitfield, 
who  presided;  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget, 
Bishop  of  Bardstown,  Kentucky;  Rt.  Rev.  John  Eng- 
land, Bishop  of  Charleston,  S.  C.,  and  Vicar-General  of 
Florida  East;  Rt.  Rev.  Edward  Fenwick,  Bishop  of  Cin- 
cinnati; Rt.  Rev.  Joseph  Rosati,  Bishop  of  St.  Louis, 
and  Administrator  of  New  Orleans;  and  Rt.  Rev.  Bene- 
dict Joseph  Fenwick,  Bishop  of  Boston ;  and  Very  Rev. 
William  Matthews,  Administrate  of  the  diocese  of  Phila- 


Most  Rev.  James   Whitfield,  D.D.  465 

delphia.  The  absent  Prelates  were  Rt.  Rev.  John  Du- 
bois,  Bishop  of  New  York,  then  in  Europe;  Rt.  Rev. 
John  B.  David,  Coadjutor  of  Bardstown,  prevented  from 
attending  by  sickness ;  Rt.  Rev.  Michael  Portier,  Bishop 
of  Mobile,  then  in  France;  Rt.  Rev.  Henry  Conwell, 
titular  Bishop  of  Philadelphia,  represented  by  the  Very 
Rev.  William  Matthews  as  his  Vicar-General. 

Among  the  works  of  this  Council  were  two  Pastoral 
Letters  addressed  by  the  assembled  Prelates,  one  to  the 
clergy  and  the  other  to  the  laity  of  the  United  States, 
which  were  full  of  apostolical  zeal  and  love,  replete  with 
scriptural  and  theological  learning,  and  breathing  an 
eloquence  and  unction  that  seem  inspired.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  read  these  two  admirable  epistles  with  candor 
and  impartiality,  and  not  feel  convinced,  from  their  in- 
trinsic evidences,  that  they  could  have  emanated  from 
none  other  than  the  true  and  infallible  spouse  of  Christ. 
The  statistics,  which  the  Bishops  of  the  Council  supplied 
from  their  respective  dioceses,  led  them  to  conclude  that 
the  Catholics  of  the  United  States,  in  1829,  exceeded  in 
number  five  hundred  thousand  souls ;  and  their,  ranks 
theri,  as  now,  were  daily  increasing  from  immigration 
and  conversions.  The  following  allusion  to  the  Council, 
and  tribute  to  Archbishop  Whitfield,  embracing  the 
quoted  extract  from  the  Ami  de  la  Religion,  is  taken 
from  the  Catholic  Miscellany  of  March  6,  1830:  "Some 
of  the  religious  papers  in  France  make  honorable  men- 
tion of  this  assembly  of  our  Prelates ;  amongst  others 
the  Ami  de  la  Religion,  after  quoting  at  considerable 
length  some  details  from  the  Miscellany,  gives  the  sub- 
stance of  the  pastoral  letter  to  the  laity,  which  it  eulo- 
gizes in  very  flattering  terms,  and  concludes  by  exhibiting 
the  great  advantages  likely  to  follow  from  this  synod, 
3° 


466  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

paying  a  well-deserved  tribute  to  our  venerable  Metro- 
politan: 'There  is  gratitude  due  to  the  Archbishop  of 
Baltimore,  who  originated  this  Council  and  directed  its 
deliberations,  and  who,  in  all  his  relations  to  his  col- 
leagues, showed  himself  well  worthy  of  the  important 
mission  whose  duties  he  is  charged  to  fulfil.' 

"No  compliment  has  ever  been  better  deserved. 
Doctor  Whitfield,  however,  must  have  that  within  which 
is  more  valuable  than  the  eulogy  or  the  esteem  of  any 
human  tribunal;  he  has  the  approbation  of  his  con- 
science, and  will  continue  to  receive  that  approbation,  as 
he  reflects  and  beholds  how  he  has  promoted  the  great 
cause  of  pure  and  spiritual  religion,  by  uniting  the  affec- 
tions and  efforts  of  what  was  before  his  day  a  scattered 
and  disjointed  mass,  but  which  he  has  framed  and  knit 
together." 

On  the  thirtieth  of  October,  1829,  Archbishop  Whit- 
field  announced  to  his  diocese  the  Plenary  Indulgence 
granted  by  the  Holy  Father  Pius  VIII.  in  the  first  year 
of  his  Pontificate.  In  his  beautiful  letter  on  Prayer,  on 
this  occasion,  he  says :  "  How  edifying  it  is  to  behold  the 
Prince  of  Pastors,  for  whom  Christ  himself  'prayed  that 
his  faith  fail  not?  whom  he  commanded  'to  confirm  his 
brethren!  trembling  at  the  foresight  of  the  momentous 
duties  attached  to  his  exalted  station,  and  in  the  attitude 
of  a  suppliant  calling  upon  all  his  beloved  children  to 
obtain  the  help  of  their  prayers!  How  consoling  the 
thought,  that  by  offering  him  that  assistance  which  his 
paternal  love  enables  us  to  afford,  we  shall  at  the  same 
time  cancel  the  debts  in  which  our  sins  have  involved  us, 
and  enrich  our  souls  with  heavenly  gifts !  " 

In  his  letter  to  the  Association  for  the  Propagation  of 
the  Faith,  dated  February  16,  1832.,  concerning  the  state 


Most  Rev.  James   Whitfield,  D.D.  467 

of  his  diocese,  he  writes:  "The  wonders,  if  I  dare  so 
express  myself,  that  have  been  operated  in  my  diocese, 
are  a  source  of  consolation  to  me  amid  the  difficulties 
against  which  I  have  still  often  to  struggle.  Thanks  to 
a  special  Providence  over  that  beloved  portion  of  the 
people  confided  to  my  care,  I  can  say  with  the  apos- 
tle, 'I  am  filled  with  consolation,  I  superabound  with/0y 
in  all  our  tribulation'  When  I  meditate  before  God 
on  His  goodness,  His  mercy,  the  graces  which  He  be- 
stows on  my  diocese,  my  heart  expands,  and  I  cannot 
but  recall  that  passage  of  the  Psalms:  'He  hath  not 
done  thus  to  every  nation.'  A  truly  Catholic  spirit  dis- 
tinguishes Maryland  and  the  District  of  Columbia  from 
all  other  States  in  the  Union;  and  I  venture  to  say, 
without  any  fear  of  wounding  the  truth,  the  City  of  Bal- 
timore is  justly  renowned  for  the  true  and  solid  piety  of 
its  people.  Conversions  of  Protestants  in  health  are  also 
numerous,  and  not  a  week,  in  some  seasons  not  a  day, 
passes  without  our  priests  being  called  to  the  bedside  of 
some  invalid  who  wishes  to  abjure  error,  and  die  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Church." 

The  completion  of  the  Cathedral  was  an  object  of  the 
Archbishop's  private  liberality  and  public  zeal.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  means  of  his  own  which  he  expended  on  it, 
he  caused  collections  to  be  made  by  small  periodical 
subscriptions,  after  the  manner  practised  in  the  Society 
for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith.  One  of  its  noble 
towers  was  begun  and  finished  during  his  administration, 
and  other  progress  made  towards  its  completion.  St. 
James'  Church,  in  Baltimore,  was  another  object  of  his 
private  and  individual  bounty,  having  been  built  entirely 
with  means  supplied  from  the  private  fortune  of  the 

*  Annals  of  the  Propagation  of  tht  Faith. 


468  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

Archbishop.  He  laid  the  corner-stone  of  this  temple, 
May  i,  1833,  and  on  the  first  of  May  of  the  following 
year  he  consecrated  it  to  the  service  of  the  Most  High. 
Mt.  St.  Mary's  College,  at  Emmittsburg,  was  incorpo- 
rated during  his  administration,  as  well  as  a  most  excel- 
lent society  of  the  ladies  of  Baltimore,  called  the  Maria 
Marthian  Society,  for  the  relief  of  the  poor  and  the  dis- 
tressed, and  other  Catholic  bodies  and  institutions.  A 
considerable  portion  of  the  funds  for  the  erection  of  the 
episcopal  residence  near  the  Cathedral,  was  also  con- 
tributed from  the  private  means  of  Archbishop  Whitfield. 
In  1833  Archbishop  Whitfield  summoned  the  Suffra- 
gan Bishops  of  the  United  States  to  assemble  in  the 
Second  Provincial  Council  at  Baltimore,  on  the  twentieth 
of  October  of  that  year.  The  assembling  of  the  Ameri- 
can Bishops  in  Council,  to  promote  the  general  interests 
of  the  Church  in  this  country,  thus  became  a  settled  and 
fixed  custom  of  the  Church.  Those  who  have  down  to 
our  own  time  witnessed  the  benign  effects  and  salutary 
fruits  of  these  assemblies,  cannot  feel  too  grateful  to  that 
illustrious  Prelate  for  the  leading  part  he  took  in  their 
introduction  and  perpetuation.  The  Prelates,  who  came 
to  the  Second  Council  at  the  invitation  of  Archbishop 
Whitfield  were :  Rt.  Rev.  John  B.  David,  Bishop  of 
Mauricastro  and  Coadjutor  of  Bardstown ;  Rt.  Rev. 
John  England,  Bishop  of  Charleston ;  Rt.  Rev.  Joseph 
Rpsati,  Bishop  of  St.  Louis ;  Rt.  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph 
Fenwick,  Bishop  of  Boston ;  Rt.  Rev.  John  Dubois, 
Bishop  of  New  York ;  Rt.  Rev.  Michael  Portier,  Bishop 
of  Mobile ;  Rt.  Rev.  Francis  P.  Kenrick,  Bishop  ot 
Arath,  and  Coadjutor  and  Administrator  of  Philadelphia; 
Rt.  Rev.  Frederick  Rese,  Bishop  of  Detroit;  Rt.  Rev. 
John  B.  Purcell,  Bishop  of  Cincinnati.  The  venerable 


Most  Rev.  James   Whitfield,  D.D.  469 

Bishop  Flaget  was  prevented  from  attending  the  Coun- 
cil by  the  feebleness  of  old  age. 

The  increase  of  Episcopal  Sees  since  the  First  Coun- 
cil was  an  evidence  of  the  progress  of  the  Church ;  and 
the  Second  Council,  which  adjourned  on  the  twenty 
seventh  of  October,  solicited  the  erection  of  another 
See  at  Vincennes,  including  within  its  jurisdiction  the 
State  of  Indiana  and  a  part  of  Illinois.  The  principal 
other  matters  that  engaged  the  attention  of  the  Council, 
were :  the  fixing  of  proper  limits  to  the  several  dioceses 
of  the  United  States  ;  the  manner  of  selecting  Bishops  to 
fill  vacant  Sees ;  the  confiding  of  the  spiritual  care  of  the 
Indians  beyond  the  limits  of  the  respective  dioceses  to 
the  Fathers  of  the  Society  of  Jesus ;  the  providing  of 
spiritual  care  and  assistance  for  the  negroes  who  emi 
grated  from  the  United  States  to  the  African  colony  of 
Liberia ;  the  establishment  of  theological  seminaries  in 
the  various  dioceses;  the  regulation  of  the  books  of  in- 
struction used  in  Catholic  schools,  and  other  important 
subjects.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  that  the  de- 
crees of  this  enlightened  and  venerable  assembly  were 
cordially  approved  at  Rome. 

"  The  two  Councils,"  say  Messrs.  De  Courcy  and  Shea, 
"  over  which  Archbishop  Whitfield  had  the  glory  of  pre- 
siding, and  which  illustrate  the  period  of  his  short  epis- 
copacy, displayed  the  dignity  and  conciliating  spirit  of 
the  venerable  Metropolitan.  The  sessions  were  con- 
ducted with  an  order  and  unanimity  which  gave  general 
satisfaction.  Before  these  august  assemblies,  the  Prelates 
of  the  United  States  had  only  a  very  imperfect  knowl- 
edge of  each  other ;  they  were  united  only  by  the  com- 
mon sentiment  of  respect  which  the  episcopal  character 
inspired  :  but  after  deliberating  together  on  the  gravest 


470  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

interests  of  the  Church ;  after  learning  to  esteem  and 
love  each  other,  while  exchanging  opinions  often  different, 
but  always  based  on  the  desire  of  the  general  good,  the 
Bishops  separated  to  bear  to  their  several  dioceses  sen- 
timents of  sincerest  friendship  and  esteem  for  each  other. 
The  deliberations  of  the  Councils  were  .very  important  in 
the  eyes  of  the  Catholic  population ;  they  contrasted 
with  the  tumultuous  assemblies  of  Protestantism;  and  such 
was  the  veneration  which  they  inspired,  that  three  cele- 
brated jurists,  admitted  before  the  Bishops  to  give  an 
opinion  on  some  points  relating  to  the  civil  law  of  the 
land,  left  the  Council  full  of  respect  and  wonder.  '  We 
have/  they  said,  '  appeared  before  solemn  tribunals  of 
justice,  but  have  never  had  less  assurance,  or  felt  less 
confidence  in  ourselves,  than  when  we  entered  that 
august  assembly.' "  * 

Throughout  his  active  administration  Archbishop 
Whitfield  was  a  warm  friend  and  patron  of  three  reli- 
gious communities  of  Sisters,  who  established  themselves 
in  his  diocese.  Of  these  the  Carmelites,  as  the  most 
needy,  received  a  particular  share  of  his  interest  and 
friendship.  They  had  for  many  years  struggled  along 
through  great  difficulties  at  their  Convent  near  Port 
Tobacco,  in  Charles  County,  Maryland,  until  the  very 
existence  of  their  institution  was  threatened  by  their 
poverty.  Archbishop  Whitfield  advised  their  removal 
to  Baltimore,  and  such  a  modification  of  their  rule  as 
would  enable  them  to  contribute  to  support  themselves 
by  conducting  a  school  for  the  education  of  young  ladies. 

*  "  Archbishop  Whitfield's  letter  of  January  28,  1830 ;  Annals  de  la  Propagation, 
iv.  243.  The  three  jurists  alluded  to  were  Roger  B.  Taney,  afterwards  Chief  Justice 
of  the  United  States;  John  Scott,  and  William  George  Read." — The  Catholic  Churck 
in  the  United  States,  p.  141. 


Most  Rev.  James   Whitfield1,  D.D.  471 

Their  removal  to  Baltimore  was  effected,  and  the  Arch- 
bishop obtained  for  them  from  Rome  the  desired  modifi- 
cation of  their  rule  and  the  privilege  of  opening  an 
academy.  They  found  in  the  Archbishop  a  tender  father 
and  invaluable  friend.  Their  school,  which  was  soon 
after  opened  and  continued  till  1852,  proved  a  great  re- 
lief to  themselves  and  an  invaluable  blessing  to  the 
community. 

In  1834  the  health  of  Archbishop  Whitfield  began  to 
fail  so  much,  that  his  physician,  in  the  summer  of  that  year, 
advised  him  to  visit  the  springs  for  its  restoration.  All 
the  efforts  made  to  arrest  his  disease  and  improve  his 
declining  health  proved  unavailing.  Neither  changes  of 
air  and  scene  nor  the  utmost  skill  of  the  medical  profes- 
sion could  save  the  dying  Prelate  for  his  flock.  The 
brilliant  virtues  of  a  long  and  useful  career  were  more 
conspicuous  in  his  death  than  even  in  his  life.  He  ex- 
pired October  19,  1834,  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  his 
age,  teaching  now  by  his  example,  as  he  had  often  done 
before  by  his  precepts,  the  important  lesson  how  to  die 
a  good  death. 

His  biographer  in  the  Catholic  Almanac*  gives  us 
the  following  sketch  of  his  character: — "  Of  Archbishop 
Whitfield  may  be  said  what  can  be  said  of  few — that  he 
entered  the  career  of  honor  in  wealth,  and  left  it  poor. 
Prudence  and  energy  were  traits  in  his  character  very 
observable  to  those  who  had  an  opportunity  of  duly  ap- 
preciating it,  and  many  acts  of  his  administration  have 
been  censured,  because,  through  a  spirit  of  charity  and 
forbearance  towards  his  neighbor,  he  abstained  from  ex- 
posing to  public  view  the  grounds  that  justified  and  com- 

*  1837- 


472  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

pelled  such  a  course  of  proceeding.  If  there  was  more 
or  less  austerity  in  his  manner,  it  did  not  prevent  him 
from  cherishing  with  paternal  feelings  and  promoting  by 
frequent  acts  of  benevolence  the  happiness  of  the  indi- 
gent and  the  orphan.  Fond  of  retirement,  and  indifferent 
to  the  opinions  of  the  world,  he  seemed  particularly  so- 
licitous to  merit  the  favor  of  Him  who  seeth  in  secret, 
and  is  always  prepared  to  award  the  crown  of  justice  to 
His  faithful  servants." 


MOST  REV.  FRANCIS  PATRICK  KENRICK,  D.D. 

Third  Bishop  of  Philadelphia  and  Sixth  Archbishop  of  Baltimore, 
A.D.  1830.* 

ARCHBISHOP  KENRICK  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
ornaments  of  the  Catholic  Hierarchy.  His  great  virtues, 
vast  learning,  profound  wisdom,  and  administrative  abili- 
ties caused  him,  even  while  comparatively  young,  to 
become  a  leading  and  influential  Prelate  in  the  Church. 
The  accounts  of  his  sanctity  and  good  works  will  long 
be  preserved  in  our  traditions ;  his  erudite  works  will 
stand  as  proud  monuments  of  our  Catholic  literature; 
and  the  institutions  he  founded  or  fostered  will  long  sur- 
vive him  as  proofs  of  his  zealous  labors.  He  was  wholly 
free  from  ambition,  and  lived  and  struggled  only  for  the 
Church  of  God  and  His  people.  Hence  he  sought  not 
to  act  a  conspicuous  or  brilliant  part  in  the  eyes  of  men, 
but  with  humility  and  gentleness,  yet  with  a  sublime 
action,  strived  to  infuse  his  faith  and  zeal  into  his  age 
and  country ;  to  calm  the  tempest,  while  gliding  along 
with  the  current ;  to  perfume  the  air  with  the  sanctity  of 
his  virtues ;  to  enlighten  the  society  in  which  he  moved, 
and  to  edify  the  Church,  in  which  he  was  at  once  a 
brilliant  light  and  ruler,  and  an  humble  child  and  subject. 
The  influence  of  his  life  upon  his  times  has  been  appro- 

*  Authorities :  Archbishop  Kcnrick  and  his  Work,  a  Lecture  by  Dr.  M.  O'Con- 
nor, S.J.  ;  Life  of  Archbishop  Hughes,  by  John  R.  G.  Hassan!  ;  The  C<it 'As/if 
Church  in  the  United  States,  by  De  Courcy  and  Shea ;  Life  of  Bishop  Flagtt,  by 
Archbishop  Spalding ;  Various  nuinlxjrs  of  the  Catholic  Miscellany,  N.  Y.  Fret- 
man1 1  Journal,  Catholic  Magazine,  Metropolitan*  etc.,  etc. 


474  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

priately  compared  to  "the  leaven  of  the  mass,  to  impart 
to  the  Church  he  governed  his  own  strength,  and  to 
move  on  with  it,  thus  invigorated,  ever  watchful  over 
the  development  of  the  life  which  received  from  him 
continuous  and  most  efficacious  nourishment ; "  and  to 
"the  dew  that  falls  at  night.  Though  the  genial  mois- 
ture that  it  has  imparted  remains,  it  is  itself  lost  sight  of 
when  the  sun  rises." 

Francis  Patrick  Kenrick  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland, 
December  3,  1796.  He  was  reared  in  the  bosom  of  a 
most  pious  Catholic  family,  and  enjoyed  the  advantages 
of  one  of  the  best  schools  of  that  city.  He  pursued  his 
elementary  and  afterwards  his  classical  studies  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  city  with  signal  success.  His  edu- 
cation, both  religious  and  scholastic,  was  acquired  under 
the  eye  of  his  paternal  uncle,  a  pious,  learned,  and  elo- 
quent clergyman,  the  parish  priest  of  Francis  Street 
Chapel.  From  his  tender  youth  he  was  devoted  to  prac- 
tices of  piety,  and  at  an  early  age  resolved  to  dedicate 
himself  to  th£  sacred  ministry.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
his  collegiate  course  was  finished,  and  with  a  well-dis- 
ciplined and  well-stored  mind,  he  was  prepared  to  com- 
mence his  ecclesiastical  studies.  He  received  with  joy 
the  news  that  he  was  chosen  to  be  one  of  those  who 
were  to  have  the  privilege  of  studying  in  Rome  at  the 
renowned  College  of  the  Propaganda.  Rome,  to  his 
cultivated  mind  and  ardent  soul,  was  the  true  citadel 
of  Christianity ;  in  it  he  could  breathe  the  atmosphere 
of  the  apostolic  times,  near  the  tombs  of  the  Apostles 
themselves ;  he  could  imbibe  the  heroism  of  the  martyrs 
near  their  own  shrines,  and  could  acquire  the  erudition 
of  centuries,  and  the  light  of  heavenly  faith,  from  the 
chair  of  Peter,  the  centre  of  unity  and  faith.  Another 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.    475 

circumstance  at  this  time  greatly  impressed  his  character, 
and  prepared  him  for  the  trials  which  he  was  afterwards 
destined  to  encounter  as  a  Bishop  of  the  Church.  The 
Holy  Pontiff  Pius  VII.  had  just  returned  from  captivity 
to  the  Eternal  City  ;  the  Universal  Church,  while  jubilant 
at  the  restoration  of  liberty  to  her  Chief  Pastor,  was  still 
more  exultant  at  the  memory  of  the  heroism  with  which 
he  had  endured  his  persecutions — a  sublime  example  of 
saintly  patience  and  indomitable  firmness.  It  was  from 
such  a  model  that  the  young  Kenrick  learned  his  life- 
long lesson  of  firmness  in  upholding  the  liberty  of  the 
Church,  and  of  meekness  in  suffering  and  bearing  in  his 
own  person  all  things  for  the  sake  of  his  Divine  Mas- 
ter. 

The  seven  years  he  spent  at  the  Propaganda  were 
years  of  close  study,  untiring  preparation,  and  thorough 
self-culture  upon  the  model  of  the  saints.  His  fine  ex- 
ample was  admired  by  superiors,  teachers,  and  com- 
panions. His  great  proficiency  in  sacred  learning  was 
only  surpassed  by  his  singular  modesty.  His  name  was 
handed  down  in  praise  after  his  departure  from  the  col- 
lege, and  long  afterwards,  when  a  student  or  visitor  went 
to  the  Propaganda  from  Ireland  or  America,  one  of  the 
first  inquiries  made  of  him  was,  whether  he  knew  Mr. 
Kenrick,  and  the  inquiry  was  followed  up  with  eulogies 
of  the  well-remembered  and  honored  student  of  the 
Propaganda.  He  received  distinguished  honors  in  the 
departments  of  science ;  he  was  ripe  far  beyond  his 
years  in  sacred  and  profane  learning,  especially  in 
theology,  and  was  ordained  h  the  holy  priesthood  on 
attaining  the  canonical  age. 

In  1821  the  venerable  Bishop  Flaget,  of  Kentucky, 
applied  to  the  "ropaganda  for  a  young  priest  of  learn- 


476  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

ing,  piety,  and  zeal,  to  aid  in  the  missions  of  that  State, 
but  more  especially  for  one  who  could  fill  the  chair  of  a 
professor  in  his  Theological  Seminary.  Young  Kenrick 
had  recently  been  ordained,  and,  though  one  of  the 
youngest  in  the  college,  was  selected  by  the  venerable 
and  learned  Rector  of  the  Propaganda  for  this  arduous 
and  important  mission. 

It  was  not  long  after  Dr.  Kenrick's  departure  for 
America  that  Cardinal  Litta  was  appointed  Prefect  of  the 
Propaganda.  This  eminent  ecclesiastic  held  the  most 
exalted  estimate  of  the  priestly  character,  and  of  the 
requisites  for  its  worthy  attainment.  He  was  an  example 
in  his  own  person  of  the  virtues  necessary  to  this  sacred 
calling,  and  was  strict  in  requiring  all  under  his  jurisdic- 
tion to  attain  to  a  high  standard  of  excellence.  His  views 
were  particularly  strict  in  regard  to  missionary  priests, 
whose  position  was  more  trying,  and  whose  labors  more 
arduous.  He  was  somewhat  surprised,  therefore,  when 
he  learned  that  so  young  a  priest  as  Dr.  Kenrick  had 
been  selected  for  Kentucky,  then  regarded  as  so  remote 
and  destitute  a  mission — one  which  seemed  to  require  ripe 
experience  and  great  physical  endurance.  When  the 
worthy  Rector  of  the  Propaganda  first  called  on  the 
Cardinal  Prefect  after  the  appointment  of  the  latter,  the 
Cardinal  at  once  broke  forth  into  complaints  that  young 
Kenrick,  scarcely  old  enough  to  receive  orders,  should 
have  been  sent  to  such  a  mission.  "  But  your  Eminence," 
said  the  Rector,  "he  is  indeed  young,  but  he  is  of  the 
most  solid  virtue,"  and  then  went  on  to  give  an  account 
of  his  life.  But  all  in  vain — the  Cardinal  continued  in 
the  same  strain,  "his  youth  was  an  obstacle  to  that  par- 
ticular work,  which  no  degree  of  virtue  could  overrule." 
The  Cardinal  wound  up  by  saying,  "  If  I  had  been  Pre- 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.    477 

feet  at  the  time,  he  should  never  have  gone  on  such  a 
mission."  The  Rector,  who  was  frank  as  he  was  re- 
spectful, fired  up  at  this,  and  finding  other  explanations 
useless,  replied:  "Well,  then,  your  Eminence,  it  was  the 
Providence  of  God  that  prevented  your  appointment 
sooner." — "What  do  you  mean?"  said  the  Cardinal. 
"I  mean,"  replied  the  Rector,  "that  if  you  had  been 
Prefect  of  the  Propaganda  sooner,  you  would  have  de- 
prived America  of  an  Apostle."  The  judgment  of  the 
Rector  was  soon  afterwards  confirmed  by  the  testimony 
of  Bishop  Flaget  himself,  who,  after  a  fair  trial  of  his 
young  colaborer,  spoke  of  him,  in  his  correspondence 
with  the  Propaganda,  as  "remarkable  for  his  piety,  ex- 
tensive acquirements,  the  quickness  of  his  mind,  and  the 
natural  eloquence  with  which  he  expressed  himslf." 

His  mode  of  acquiring  learning  was  simple  and  direct, 
and  to  one  especially  of  his  clear  head  and  retentive 
memory  the  most  efficacious.  He  drank  only  from  thu 
fountain  sources  of  knowledge,  and  did  not  dally  with 
the  by-streams  and  overflowing  waters  around.  Thus 
every  drop  of  the  pure  and  refreshing  draft  assimilated 
with  his  vigorous  and  ready  intellect.  The  Sacred 
Scriptures  themselves  were  his  chief  study,  his  own 
deep  reflection  upon  them  supplying  their  elucidation. 
It  was  remarked  of  him,  while  at  the  -Propaganda,  that 
he  never  read  any  treatises  on  the  subject  of  his  studies 
but  the  class-books.  With  these,  the  lectures  of  the 
professors,  and  his  own  meditation,  he  acquired  that 
solid  knowledge  for  which  he  was  so  eminent.  The  ad- 
vantages of  this  course  were  witnessed  by  his  professors 
in  his  case,  in  contrast  with  so  many  students,  who  un- 
dertake too  much  an  1  too  varied  reading,  and  thus  fail 
to  realize  the  full  be  icfits  of  a  thorough  training.  He 


4/8  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

did  not,  of  course,  exclude  from  his  studies  the  writings 
of  the  Fathers;  for  he  studied  the  Sacred  Scriptures  in 
the  light  of  the  Fathers,  and  became  wonderfully  fa- 
miliar with  both.  What  he  refrained  from  were  the  nu- 
merous treatises  composed  to  illustrate  their  meaning; 
for  he  preferred  to  seek  this  in  its  freshness  near  the 
fountain-head.  "  He  studied  diligently  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures," writes  Dr.  O'Connor  in  his  admirable  lecture, 
from  which  these  particulars  are  taken,  "and  the  writings 
of  the  Fathers  of  the  Church.  He  studied  them  in  their 
native  simplicity,  under  the  light  of  faith  and  the  aids 
alluded  to.  It  was  in  this  way  that  he  became  so  fa- 
miliar with  the  letter  and  spirit  of  the  Sacred  Volume. 
He  appeared  to  have  imbibed  it  into  his  very  nature,  to 
be  at  home  in  it,  to  think  in  its  thoughts,  to  walk  in  its 
light,  to  express  himself  without  an  effort  in  its  hallowed 
language.  Look  at  his  pastorals,  how  full  they  are  of 
the  very  spirit  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  the  passages  of 
which  flowed  without  an  effort  from  his  pen,  coming  up 
as  the  most  natural  expression  of  the  thoughts  he  wished 
to  convey.  It  was  the  same  thing  in  his  discourses  and 
all  his  compositions.  I  have  seen  him,  while  others  were 
in  conversation  or  debate  around,  write  off  most  beau- 
tiful productions,  which  won  universal  admiration,  breath- 
ing that  unction  which  familiarity  with  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures alone  can  give." 

At  Bardstown  he  filled  the  chair  of  theology  in  the 
St.  Thomas  Theological  Seminary  with  distinguished 
ability  and  usefulness.  Here  his  superior  mental  en- 
dowments, his  profound  acquaintance  with  sacred  sci- 
ence, his  familiarity  with  the  writings  of  the  Fathers,  the 
canons  and  decrees  of  the  Church,  and  sacred  history, 
were  the  admiration  of  all.  He  contributed  important 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.     479 

aid  to  all  the  educational  institutions  of  Kentucky,  and 
especially  to  the  establishment  and  support  of  St.  Jo- 
seph's College,  in  which,  in  addition  to  his  other  duties, 
he  discharged  those  of  Professor  of  Greek  and  of  His- 
tory. As  a  professor  he  was  remarkable  for  the  clear 
and  lucid  manner  in  which  he  developed  the  different 
points  of  sacred  science  to  his  pupils.  He  adopted  and 
adhered  to  the  important  rule  of  first  mastering  what  he 
undertook  to  teach  to  others.  His  collegiate  duties  con- 
fined him  chie'fly  to  the  Seminary  and  College,  where  he 
enjoyed  that  seclusion  and  quiet  so  grateful  to  himself 
and  so  favorable  to  his  studies.  Yet  he  did  not  shrink 
from  other  useful  occupations,  but  devoted  himself  also 
to  missionary  labors,  and  discharged  with  energy  and 
zeal  the  duties  of  pastor  to  the  congregation  at  Bards- 
town.  In  the  Jubilee  of  1826  and  1827  he  went  forth 
with  apostolic  ardor,  and  electrified  all  by  his  eloquent 
and  learned  discourses,  and  edified  them  by  his  incessant 
labors  and  devotedness.  During  this  season  of  grace 
he  attended  Bishop  Flaget  in  the  episcopal  visitation  of 
his  diocese,  and  his  efforts  were  crowned  with  numerous 
conversions.  So  great  were  his  labors  during  this  sea- 
son that  his  health  became  prostrated,  and  he  became  ill 
from  a  fever,  from  the  effects  of  which  it  was  years  be- 
fore he  entirely  recovered.  At  Bardstown  he  delivered 
a  series  of  conferences  on  religion,  answered  the  objec- 
tions to  the  dogmas  of  the  Church  which  the  Protestant 
ministers  had  published,  or  preached  from  their  pulpits, 
and  completely  silenced  them  by  his  powerful  arguments. 
He  became  at  once  a  recognized  champion  of  the  faith. 
One  of  these  discussions  was  held  with  Rev.  Dr.  Black 
burn,  President  of  the  Presbyterian  College  at  Danville, 
Kentucky,  who,  in  1828,  publicly  assailed  the  doctrine. 


480  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

of  the  Real  Presence  in  the  Holy  Eucharist,  over  the 
signature  of  "Omega" ';  to  whom  Dr.  Kenrick  replied  in 
a  series  of  letters  entitled  "From  Omicron  to  Omega." 
Nothing  further  was  heard  from  "  Omega"  Another 
controversy,  growing  out  of  the  Jubilee,  was  held  with 
Mr.  Light,  the  Methodist  minister,  who,  profiting  by  Dr. 
Kenrick's  absence  at  another  mission,  came  forward  to 
sustain  his  sect.  But  he  succeeded  only  in  drawing 
upon  himself  the  humiliation  of  a  public  refutation  at  the 
hands  of  Dr.  Kenrick,  to  which  he  did  not  think  it  ad- 
visable to  make  any  reply.  A  minister  of  the  Anglican 
Church  met  with  a  similar  fate.  Finally,  a  Presbyterian 
preacher,  more  ardent  but  not  more  prudent,  having 
ventured  to  attack  Dr.  Kenrick  publicly,  was  answered 
so  triumphantly  on  the  spot,  and  before  the  same  au- 
dience, that  when  he  arose  to  speak  in  rejoinder  he  was 
abandoned  by  Protestants  as  well  as  Catholics.  During 
this  extraordinary  Jubilee  secular  affairs  were  almost 
entirely  forgotten,  and  Protestants  were  as  eager  to  at- 
tend the  exercises  a's  Catholics.  The  number  of  com- 
municants was  over  six  thousand,  confirmations  twelve 
hundred  and  sixteen,  and  conversions  of  Protestants 
fifty.  Great  numbers  of  old  and  habitual  sinners  were 
converted  from  their  evil  ways.  These  and  other  po- 
lemical studies  and  discussions  formed  the  basis  of  his 
published  works. 

His  preaching  at  this  time,  1830,  was  thus  described 
by  one  of  his  auditors:  "As  a  pulpit  orator,  this  or  any 
other  country  or  age  has  produced  few  equal  to  Dr. 
Kenrick.  Modest  and  unassuming  in  presenting  him- 
self, a  stranger,  unless  the  whisper  of  fame  had  excited 
expectation,  could  not  anticipate  more  than  an  ordinary 
pious  discourse  from  him ;  but  soon  the  workings  of  his 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.    481 

mighty  mind  appear,  and  rivet  the  attention  of  his  audi- 
ence. In  his  exordium,  the  tone  of  his  voice  was  low 
but  clear.  A  tinge  of  modesty  suffused  his  countenance, 
but  he  is  never  agitated.  Without  stating  the  points  of 
his  discourse  with  the  formality  of  scholastic  precision, 
his  audience  are  enabled  to  perceive  and  mark  them  dis- 
tinctly as  he  proceeds.  He  sees  everything  in  a  clear 
light,  and  exhibits  everything  clearly  to  others.  His 
reasoning  and  arguments  are  cogent  and  powerful;  his 
diction  chaste,  his  language  copious,  his  figures  striking 
and  appropriate,  and  his  appeals  to  the  heart  irresistible. 
His  sermons  are  generally  short,  and  where  he  happens 
to  dwell  longer  than  usual,  no  part  of  his  audience  are 
ever  tired  when  he  closes."  That  his  character  and  vir- 
tues may  be  fully  appreciated  by  future  generations  of 
our  Catholic  population,  we  will  add  the  closing  words 
of  the  same  writer,  in  which  is  exhibited  the  high  es- 
teem in  which  Dr.  Kenrick  was  held  by  his  contempo- 
raries: "But  in  whatever  point  of  view  we  regard  his 
character — as  a  man,  a  scholar,  a  gentleman,  a  minister 
•  of  the  gospel — we  are  forced,  no,  we  are  willing  to  yield 
the  tribute  of  admiration,  affection,  and  veneration."* 
Such  was  the  impression  he  made  upon  those  who  knew 
him  in  Kentucky  when  he  was  a  young  man.  Time  and 
practice  added  greatly  in  after-life  to  the  charm  and 
effect  of  his  preaching.  An  eminent  Protestant  gentle- 
man of  Philadelphia,  while  Dr.  Kenrick  was  Bishop  of 
that  See,  used  to  say  that  in  beholding  him  he  "thought 
he  saw  Paul  addressing  the  Areopagus  at  Athens." 

But  Bishop  Kenrick  had  not  only  studied  the  sciences 
that  made  doctors,  he  had  even  more  profoundly  studied 
those  depths  of  the  Gospel,  and  imitated  those  perfect 

*  Letter  from  Bardstown,  in  Cat  holt.  Miscellany,  1830. 
3' 


482  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

examples  which  make  saints.  Thus  his  interior  and  exte- 
rior life,  even  at  this  early  period  of  his  career,  was  most 
exemplary  and  holy.  His  countenance  indicated  a  soul 
at  peace  with  God  and  man ;  his  exterior  deportment 
was  full  of  charity,  affability,  gentleness,  humility,  and 
benignity.  Those  who  flocked  to  be  instructed  in  their 
faith,  or  guided  in  their  spiritual  progress  by  his  ser- 
mons and  private  counsels,  found  in  his  life  and  actions 
still  more  effectual  lessons  of  Christian  perfection.  Many 
instances  of  a  goodness  not  born  of  earth  have  been  re- 
lated of  him ;  but  one  will  suffice  as  an  illustration.  A 
worthy  Italian  missionary,  who  was  visiting  Bardstown, 
and  who  had  been  greatly  affected  by  his  discourses,  re- 
lated of  him  a  circumstance  more  truly  sublime  and  elo- 
quent than  the  burning  words  which  he  had  heard  from 
his  lips;  he  said:  "Let  me  here  tell,  to  the  honor  of  the 
priesthood  and  the  confusion  of  modern  philanthropists, 
that  the  missionary,  having  one  evening  entered  the  pro- 
fessor's little  room,  had  the  consoling  surprise  to  find 
the  bed  occupied  by  a  sick  beggar.  We  do  not  know  by 
what  accident  the  unfortunate  man  obtained  such  a  priv 
ilege,  but  the  fact  is  that  with  the  Professor's  permission 
he  occupied  his  bed.  Such  an  example  of  tejider  charity 
excited  in  the  spectator  a  strong  desire  to  imitate  it." 

In  1829  Dr.  Kenrick  attended  the  Provincial  Council 
of  Baltimore,  as  theologian  to  Bishop  Flaget,  and  was 
appointed  assistant  secretary  to  the  Council.  The  sad 
condition  of  the  Church  of  Philadelphia  at  this  time, 
where  a  long-standing  trouble  between  the  aged  Bishop 
and  the  pastors  and  trustees  of  St.  Mary's  Church 
seemed  to  baffle  all  efforts  at  settlement,  occupied  the 
attention  of  the  Council.  That  venerable  assembly,  with 

*  De  Courcy  and  Shea's  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States. 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.    483 

the  consent  of  Bishop  Conwell,  decided  to  apply  to 
Rome  for  the  appointment  of  a  Coadjutor  Bishop  of 
Philadelphia.  Grave,  indeed,  was  the  work  of  selecting 
a  ruler  and  chief  pastor  for  this  disturbed  portion  of  the 
Church,  but  graver  still  was  the  task  to  be  performed  by 
the  person  selected  for  this  arduous  position.  It  has 
been  truly  said  that  the  Church  in  America  has  seen  no 
more  critical  moment,  nor  has  a  more  appalling  task 
been  imposed  upon  a  Bishop.  The  choice  of  the  Coun- 
cil fell  upon  Dr.  Kenrick,  and  the  Holy  See  ratified  their 
action.  The  Bishop  elect,  with  unequalled  courage,  and 
in  the  spirit  of  submission  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  whom, 
the  whole  matter  was  evidently  directed,  accepted  the 
grave  responsibility,  thus,  to  use  his  own  language, 
"  pressing  to  our  lips  the  chalice  presented  by  the  Vice- 
gerent of  Christ." 

The  loss  of  Dr.  Kenrick  was  a  severe  affliction  to  the 
venerable  Bishop  Flaget,  who  loved  him  as  a  father 
loves  his  own  child,  and  prized  him  as  the  jewel  of  his 
diocese.  For  twenty-four  hours  Bishop  Flaget  had  not 
the  heart  to  communicate  the  news  of  his  appointment 
to  Dr.  Kenrick,  or  to  hand  him  the  bulls  from  Rome. 
But  that  saintly  Prelate  was  capable  of  sacrifices,  and 
after  a  brief  struggle,  he  generously  gave  up  his  own 
for  the  general  good  of  the  Church.  The  Bishop  elect 
very  soon  afterwards  addressed  from  Bardstown  a  pas- 
toral to  the  clergy  and  laity  of  Philadelphia,  which  for 
apostolic  eloquence  and,  zeal,  pure  scriptural  language, 
elevated  thoughts,  paternal  advice,  force  of  character, 
and  literary  elegance  is  a  model  of  pastorals.  His  bulls 
appointed  him  Bishop  of  Arath  in  partibus,  and  Co- 
adjutor of  Philadelphia,  with  full  powers  of  administra- 
tion. He  was  consecrated  June  6,  1830,  at  Bardstown, 


484  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

by  Bishop  Flaget.  The  Catholics  of  Bardstown  assem- 
bled and  presented  to  the  newly  consecrated  Prelate  an 
address  of  confidence,  admiration,  and  esteem,  together 
with  a  handsome  chalice. 

The  difficulties  of  his  new  position  would  have  ap- 
palled almost  any  other  man ;  but  after  sedulous  prayer, 
mature  thought,  and  casting  himself  into  the  hands  of 
Providence,  he  lost  no  time  in  repairing  to  his  new  post, 
with  a  modest  but  firm  reliance  upon  the  purity  of  his 
motives,  the  good  aims  of  his  well-matured  measures, 
and  a  determination  to  do  his  whole  duty.  His  advent 
.to  Philadelphia,  the  delicate  and  discouraging  position  in 
which  he  was  there  placed,  and  the  admirable  prudence 
and  courage  he  displayed,  are  well  described  in  Dr. 
O'Connor's  lecture  on  Archbishop  Kenrick  and  his 
Work:- 

"  He  came  to  Philadelphia  under  circumstances  indeed 
trying.  A  good  old  man  transferred,  after  a  long  life  of 
usefulness,  to  a  new  field,  for  which  he  was  entirely  un- 
prepared, and  then  involved  in  inextricable  difficulties, 
was  the  Bishop.  This  same  inability  to  cope  with  the 
cunning  tricksters  that  beset  his  path  made  him  fail  to 
avail  himself  of  the  aid  which  he  might  have  derived 
from  a  high-minded  Administrator.  Those  who  clung 
to  him  in  his  difficulties,  looked  with  coldness  if  not  with 
aversion  on  one  who  came  to  take  up  the  reins  which 
had  fallen  from  his  powerless  hands.  His  enemies  were 
disposed  to  hail  the  advent  of  a  new  Administrator  as 
their  triumph ;  but  they  soon  understood  that  he  came  as 
head  of  the  diocese,  not  of  a  party.  He  thus  remained 
without  any  strong  support  in  the  midst  of  a  community 
torn  by  factions.  He  had  scarcely  a  church  in  which  he 
could  feel  at  home.  The  old  Bishop  was  at  St.  Joseph's, 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.    485 

and  he  was  surrounded  there  by  those  who  had  faithfully 
clung  to  him  in  his  struggles,  overlooking  minor  mistakes 
in  the  feeling  of  duty  which  they  owed  his  position.  At 
the  demand  of  the  same  duty  they  were  willing  to  sub- 
mit to  the  new  Administrator,  but  little  enthusiasm  could 
be  expected  while  the  old  man,  around  whom  they  had 
rallied,  was  in  .their  midst,  dissatisfied  and  complain- 
ing. Trinity  Church  was  used  for  the  Germans. 
St.  Augustine's  was  owned  by  a  religious  community,  on 
whom  the  Bishop  could  not  intrude.  There  remained 
St.  Mary's,  his  natural  Cathedral,  for  there  were  then 
but  these  four  churches  in  Philadelphia.  But  St.  Mary's 
was  under  the  control  of  trustees,  who  did  not  wish 
their  authority  to  be  overshadowed  by  a  mitre.  They 
refused  to  recognize  him  as  pastor.  The  Administrator, 
thus  left  without  a  party  and  without  support,  ejected 
from  the  pastoral  residence  of  St.  Joseph's  by  the  old 
Bishop,  had  none  but  God  to  rely  on.  And  on  Him  he 
did  rely,  and  his  confidence  did  not  fail.  He  rented  a 
respectable  house  on  Fifth  street,  though  human  pru- 
dence could  not  point  to  any  means  by  which  his  ex- 
penses were  to  be  supplied.  He  declared  himself  pastor 
of  St.  Mary's,  and  interdicted  the  church  until  the 
trustees  would  acknowledge  him.  He  commenced  very 
soon  in  the  upper  room  of  his  residence,  that  ecclesias- 
tical seminary,  which  he  knew  to  be  the  most  efficacious 
means  of  providing  for  the  diocese,  and  .he  placed  him- 
self in  the  hands  of  Divine  Providence." 

In  dealing  with  the  refractory  trustees  of  St.  Mary's, 
Bishop  Kenrick  displayed  his  fine  administrative  abilities. 
Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Philadelphia,  the  old  troubles, 
which  had  embittered  the  lives  of  Bishops  Egan  and 
Conwell,  again  broke  out.  The  trustees  were  again  re- 


486  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

bellious,  and  openly  claimed  the  right  to  select  for  them- 
selves pastors  of  St.  Mary's.  Bishop  Kenrick  commenced 
by  declaring  himself  the  chief  pastor  of  St.  Mary's,  and 
notified  the  trustees  of  his  intention,  as  such,  to  take 
charge  of  the  congregation.  This  they  resisted.  The 
Bishop  on  the  following  Sunday  occupied  the  pulpit  of 
St.  Mary's,  and  exposed  in  detail  the  proceedings  and 
conduct  of  the  trustees,  in  the  presence  of  themselves 
and  the  congregation.  The  trustees  were  exasperated, 
but  the  people  generally  now  became  disgusted  with 
them,  and  inclined  to  the  side  of  the  Bishop.  The 
trustees,  in  their  anger,  summoned  a  general  meeting  of 
the  pew-holders  for  the  following  evening.  Dr.  Hughes, 
then  curate  of  St.  Joseph's,  gave  the  following  graphic 
and  characteristic  account  of  Bishop  Kenrick's  encounter 
with  the  trustees: — 

"  Gloria  in  excelsis  Deo,  et  in  terra  pax  hominibus  ! 
The  neck  of  the  bad  principle  was  broken  last  night. 
Dr.  Kenrick  attended  the  meeting  himself.  His  pres- 
ence (in  his  cassock,  and  his  cross  displayed  on  his 
breast)  disconcerted  them.  He  then  proved,  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  the  meeting,  that  the  trustees  were  misrep- 
resenting. He  made  them  eat  their  own  words.  He 
then  told  them  they  must  not  dare  to  control  him  in  the 
exercise  of  his  episcopal  authority.  He  said  he  was 
their  pastor  and  their  Bishop ;  that  St.  Mary's  was  and 
should  be  the  Cathedral  of  the  diocese  ;  and  he  was  sup- 
ported, and  the  trustees  were  put  down  by  their  own 
meeting — and  I  may  say  their  own  party.  ''"-'."',•  .  .  , 
They  are  at  his  feet.  Last  night  he  whipped  them  with 
fair  arguments,  until  they  were  fairly  beaten  ;  and  when 
they  gave  up,  and  declared  the  withdrawal  of  their  op- 
position, and  when  their  friends  were  about  to  fall  on 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.    487 

them,  he  interposed  and  set  them  on  their  legs  again. 
He  said  he  wished  no  other  trustees,  so  long  as  these 
gentlemen  would  confine  themselves  within  their  proper 
limits,  and  not  presume  to  meddle,  directly  or  indirectly, 
with  his  authority.  There  was  finally  a  kind  of  shaking 
hands  between  the  vanquished  and  the  victor,  with  what 
sincerity  on  their  part  time  only  will  tell.  At  all  events, 
it  is  the  first  time  within  ten  years  that  an  attempt  has 
been  made  to  pluck  up  the  root  of  the  schism — and  I  as- 
sure you  Dr.  Kenrick  did  it  with  a  giant's  hand." 

It  seems  almost  incredible  that  the  trustees  should 
have  again  rebelled  against  the  authority  of  Bishop  Ken- 
rick.  He  found  himself  under  the  necessity  of  ordering 
"  the  cessation  from  all  sacred  functions  in  the  Church 
and  cemeteries  of  St.  Mary's."  The  trustees  now  at 
last  discovered  what  manner  of  Bishop  they  had  to 
deal  with.  They  came  to  terms  and  submitted,  though 
not  gracefully,  to  his  authority.  The  following  account 
of  the  affair  is  taken  from  Bishop  Kenrick's  letter  to  the 
congregation,  authorizing  the  resumption  of  divine  ser- 
vice in  St.  Mary's: — "On  the  2istof  May  (1831),  we 
received  a  communication  dated  the  i8th,  and  signed  by 
five  of  the  lay  trustees,  wherein  they  disclaimed  all 
right  to  interfere  in  the  spiritual  concerns  of  this 
church,  and  distinctly  stated  that  they  considered  the 
right  of  interfering  in  the  appointing,  rejecting,  or  re- 
moving of  pastors  as  being  included  in  the  spiritual  con- 
cerns. They  added,  however,  that  they  reserved  to 
themselves  the  right  of  regulating  the  salaries  of  the 
pastors,  and  even  of  withholding,  should  the  power  of 
appointment  be  (contrary  to  their  expectations)  not  ex- 
ercised in  accordance  with  the  declarations  of  the  Pre- 
lates in  the  Baltimore  Council,  '  so  as  to  meet  not  only 


Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

the  wants,  but  the  wishes  of  the  people,  so  far  as  the 
conscientious  convictions  of  the  Prelates,  and  the  just  de- 
sires and  expectations  of  meritorious  clergymen  will  per- 
mit.' Although  a  portion  of  said  com- 
munication appears  to  us  highly  objectionable,  and  cal- 
culated to  afford  matter  for  future  dissension,  yet  as  it 
contains  an  explicit  disclaimer  of  all  right  of  interference 
in  pastoral  appointments  or  removals,  we  are  unwilling  to 
withhold  any  longer  from  you  the  consolation  of  worship- 
ping in  the  Church  which  you  have  so  long  frequented." 
Bishop  Kenrick  determined  to  allow  no  new  acqui- 
sitions of  Church  property  under  the  trustee  system. 
Wherever  property  had  already  been  acquired  and  vest- 
ed in  trustees,  he  did  not  disturb  its  tenure,  so  long  as 
the  trustees  respected  the  episcopal  authority,  and 
obeyed  the  laws  and  discipline  of  the  Church.  All  new 
acquisitions  were  required  to  be  vested  in  the  Bishop. 
The  second  case  in  which  he  was  called  upon  to  resist  the 
trustee  system  was  in  Pittsburgh.  Old  St.  Paul's 
Church  had  been  built  by  the  Catholics  of  that  city,  with 
great  perseverance  and  through  great  difficulties,  and 
was  near  its  completion ;  it  was  one  of  the  finest  church 
edifices  then  in  the  country.  When  the  Bishop  visited 
Pittsburgh  the  trustees  had  been  selected,  and  they 
were  making  preparations  to  obtain  a  charter.  Bishop 
Kenrick  put  a  stop  to  these  proceedings ;  he  told  the 
people  that  lay  trustees  had  done  mischief  enough,  that 
the  system  would  not  be  allowed  to  extend  itself  fur- 
ther, and  that  the  church  should  be  conveyed  to  him  in 
trust  for  the  congregation.  His  action  astonished  all, 
and  offended  many  ;  they  openly  maintained  that  they 
had  built  the  church  with  their  own  means  and  upon 
their  own  ground,  that  it  belonged  to  them,  and  the 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.    489 

Bishop  had  no  right  to  take  it  away  from  them. 
"  What,"  they  exclaimed,  "  we  built  the  church  !  What 
right  has  the  Bishop  to  it  ?  "  He  met  their  objections 
and  resistance  in  his  usual  calm  and  firm  manner. 
"  The  church  is  yours,"  he  said  to  them  from  the  pulpit 
of  St.  Patrick's.  "  You  have  a  perfect  right  to  do  what 
you  please  with  it.  I  claim  no  right  to  interfere  with 
any  appropriation  of  it  you  wish  to  make.  You  may 
make  of  it,  if  you  will,  a  factory,  and  I  will  not  interfere. 
But  there  is  one  thing  which  I  do  tell  you,  and  it  is  this  : 
if  you  wish  it  to  be  a  Catholic  Church  you  must  comply 
with  the  requirement  of  the  law,  which  I  have  laid  before 
you.  Now  do  as  you  please."  No  one  could  answer 
this  view ;  his  words  sank  deep  into  the  minds  of  the 
people,  whose  good  sense  and  honesty  of  purpose  im- 
mediately rallied  to  the  support  of  the  Bishop  and  over- 
ruled all  opposition.  An  anecdote  is  related  which  ad- 
mirably illustrates  the  manner  in  which  the  Bishop's 
views  gained  ground  with  the  well-disposed  members  of 
the  congregation.  An  old  man,  an  Irishman,  whose  na- 
tive wit  was  equal  to  his  good  sense,  as  the  congrega- 
tion were  leaving  the  church,  met  several  persons  raving 
over  the  Bishop's  address.  "  What's  the  matter  ? "  he 
said,  "  Didn't  you  hear  ?  "  they  replied,  "  the  Bishop 
wants  to  take  our  church  from  us."  "  Indeed,"  he  said, 
"  and  will  he  take  it  over  the  mountains  with  him  ?" 
This  was  the  expression  used  in  Pittsburgh  for  crossing 
the  Alleghanies  and  going  to  Philadelphia.  "  Oh, 
what ! "  was  the  reply,  "  of  course  not."  "  And  do  you 
think,"  he  said  again,  "  that  if  he  gets  it,  he  will  let  us 
into  it?"  "Oh,  of  course  he  will,"  was  the  answer. 
"And  hear  Mass  there?  "asked  the  old  man.  "Yes, 
of  course,"  was  the  answer.  "  And  go  to  confession  and 


49°  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

say  our  prayers?"  "Oh,  of  course,  there  will  br  no 
difficulty  in  all  that."  "Arrah!  then,"  said  the  old  man, 
"what  else  do  I  want  of  it?  On  these  terms  he  may 
have  it,  and  welcome."  *  It  need  scarcely  be  added  that 
in  this,  as  in  all  subsequent  cases,  not  only  did  the 
Bishop  have  his  own  way,  but  all  concurred  in  recogniz- 
ing- that  as  the  only  proper  and  most  convenient  tenure 
of  ecclesiastical  property. 

Dr.  Kenrick  was  remarkable,  not  only  while  Bishop  of 
Philadelphia,  but  also  while  Archbishop  of  Baltimore,  for 
the  punctuality  and  earnestness  with  which  he  performed 
the  periodical  visitations  of  his  diocese.  He  fcnew  well 
the  advantages  of  those  stimulating  and  edifying  meet- 
ings between  the  flock  and  their  chief  pastor,  and  how 
beneficial  they  were  to  bishop,  priest,  and  people,  in 
order  that  it  might  be  truly  said,  "  I  know  my  flock,  and 
my  flock  know  me."  One  of  his  first  acts,  after  assum- 
ing the  administration  at  Philadelphia,  was  the  visitation 
of  his  diocese  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  1830.  This 
journey  lay  mostly  through  the  western  and  mountainous 
portions  of  the  State,  and,  in  consequence  of  the  unim- 
proved condition  of  the  roads,  was  rendered  doubly 
fatiguing  and  even  dangerous.  He  had  frequently  to 
ride  to  distant  points  in  the  rudest  and  roughest  of  ve- 
hicles and  over  the  worst  of  roads,  suffering  not  only 
great  personal  fatigue  and  pain,  but  also  great  delays 
and  disappointments.  A  severe  illness  overtook  him  at 
Chambersburg,  during  his  first  visitation,  in  which  it 
was  evident  that  he  had  not  entirely  recovered  from  the 
effects  of  his  labors  in  the  Jubilee  at  Bardstown,  nor 
from  the  more  recent  shock  his  sensitive  nature  had  re- 
ceived in  his  encounters  with  the  refractory  trustees  of 

*  Dr.  O'Connor's  Lecture. 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.    491 

St.  Mary's  at  Philadelphia.  He  was  compelled  to  send 
to  Philadelphia  for  Dr.  Hughes  to  join  and  assist  him  in 
his  labors,  which  he  resumed  as  soon  as  his  health  per- 
mitted. While  the  Bishop  and  his  friends  were  toiling 
over  the  rough  road  from  Loretto  to  Newry,  his  baggage, 
containing  the  Bishop's  mitre  and  crozier,  was  jostled 
from  the  wagon,  without  being  perceived  for  some  time. 
On  discovering  the  loss,  the  Bishop  was  disposed  rather 
to  submit  to  it,  and  continue  the  journey,  than  to  give 
others  the  trouble  of  returning  to  hunt  for  the  missing 
articles  ;  but  the  hardier  nature  of  Dr.  Hughes  triumphed 
not  only  in  undertaking  the  search  for  the  baggage,  but 
also  in  its  recovery,  and,  as  they  pleasantly  and  jocosely 
remarked  at  the  time,  in  restoring  his  mitre  to  Bishop 
Kenrick.*  It  was  during  this  visitation,  that  he  had  the 
happiness  of  visiting  the  celebrated  missionary  of  the 
Alleghanies,  the  Rev.  Prince  Gallitzin;  of  partaking  of 
his  hospitality,  and  of  witnessing  his  splendid  services  to 
religion.  During  an  episcopal  career  of  thirty-four  years, 
in  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland,  these  journeys  of  apos- 
tolic labor  and  charity  were  kept  up  with  remarkable 
regularity  and  exactness.  He  usually  announced  before- 
hand the  day  and  hour  of  his  intended  visitation  at  each 
place,  and  although  they  were  numerous  and  were  fre- 
quently in  country  districts,  where  the  conveniences  of 
travel  were  uncertain  and  unsafe,  he  was  never  known  to 
disappoint  a  congregation.  Labor  was  with  him  the  law 
of  such  occasions.  Social  enjoyments  never  tempted  him 
to  change  his  plans,  and,  although  he  did  not  avoid  them 
altogether,  his  plans  were  so  exact  as  to  time,  that  little 
or  no  opportunity  was  left  for  their  enjoyment.  It  not 
unfrequently  happened  that,  while  making  his  visitation 

*  Hassard's  Life  of  Archbishop  Httghtt. 


492  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

in  the  country  districts,  a  social  assembly  remained  for 
some  time  awaiting  his  presence  at  the  house  of  some 
Catholic  gentleman  near  the  Church  in  which  he  had  just 
officiated,  while  the  Archbishop,  unconscious  of  the  dis- 
appointment inflicted  upon  them,  had  gone  to  officiate  at 
the  next  station  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  distant. 

It  was  well  said  of  Dr.  Kenrick,  while  he  was  Bishop  of 
Philadelphia,  that  "  during  his  government  of  the  diocese 
as  administrator,  and  later  as  Bishop,  he  was  the  leader 
of  his  flock  in  all  good  works."  One  of  the  first  of  his 
undertakings,  after  disposing  of  the  trustee  question,  was 
to  provide  for  his  diocese  a  pious,  learned,  and  laborious 
clergy.  The  City  of  Philadelphia  possessed  five  churches 
and  ten  priests.  But  in  the  interior  of  the  diocese  the 
number  of  missionaries  was  entirely  inadequate  to  the 
numbers  and  religious  necessities  of  the  people.  Pitts- 
burgh, Conewago,  Loretto,  Manayunk,  and  Wilmington, 
were  the  only  parishes  enjoying  the  benefits  and  services 
of  a  resident  pastor.  Others,  such  as  Haycock,  Potts- 
ville,  Lancaster,  Bedford,  and  Chambersburg,  were  en- 
abled to  have  Mass  three  times  a  month  ;  others  once  a 
fortnight;  others  only  once  a  month;  and  there  were  many, 
whose  only  religious  aid  consisted  in  an  occasional  visit  of  a 
priest,  such  as  Brownsville,  Carbondale,  Silver  Lake,  New 
Castle,  and  Butler.  One  missionary  was  usually  charged 
with  several  missions,  and  these  were  far  apart.  Bishop 
Kenrick  himself  said,  "  Some  of  these  missions  need 
the  gift  of  tongues  and  a  health  of  iron.  Although  the 
languages  spoken  by  the  people  inhabiting  this  extensive 
country  were  various,  yet  not  so  much  so  as  the  nation- 
alities and  tongues  of  the  missionaries,  who  had  come 
from  nine  different  countries  :  four  of  them  were  French, 
three  German,  two  Belgian,  twenty-one  Irish,  one  Rus- 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.    493 

sian,  one  Livonian,  one  Englishman,  and  three  Ameri- 
cans." It  has  already  been  stated,  that  immediately  after 
his  arrival  in  Philadelphia,  he  commenced  in  the  upper 
room  of  his  residence  a  little  ecclesiastical  seminary, 
which  was  destined  in  time  to  expand  and  become  the 
efficient  and  fruitful  Alma  Mater  of  the  Pennsylvania 
clergy.  When  the  Bishop  rented  the  house  in  Fifth 
street,  for  want  of  any  other  episcopal  residence,  he 
placed  his  trust  in  God  alone  to  provide  the  means  of 
paying  the  rent  and  defraying  his  household  expenses. 
What  must  have  been  the  surprise  of  his  clergy  and 
friends,  when  they  saw  him  increasing  his  responsibilities 
by  undertaking  the  support  of  theological  students  ?  '  He 
called  his  clergy  together  and  proposed,  in  conjunction 
with  them,  to  devise  a  plan  for  providing  the  means 
of  support  for  the  Theological  Seminary.  The  clergy 
proposed  the  usual  plan  adopted  then  in  this  country,  of 
uniting  with  the  seminary  a  collegiate  department  for  the 
education  of  paying  scholars,  and  thus  support  the  one 
from  the  revenue  derived  from  the  other ;  they  could 
think  of  no  other  plan.  The  Bishop  informed  them  that, 
though  the  necessities  of  the  country  had  led  to  the 
adoption  of  this  mode,  still  such  was  not  the  manner  ap- 
proved by  the  Church,  and  quoted  to  them  the  directions 
of  the  Council  of  Trent,  which  required  Bishops  to  es- 
tablish seminaries  for  ecclesiastical  students,  and  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  secure  for  them  a  training  free  from  contact 
with  other  students,  and  especially  suited  to  their  voca- 
tion. Placing  his  trust  in  Heaven,  he  resolved,  against 
the  recommendation  of  the  clergy,  to  pursue  this  course. 
Success  demonstrated  his  wisdom.  The  Seminary  flour- 
ished beyond  example,  not  only  in  sending  forth  yearly 
a  goodly  number  of  learned  and  zealous  priests  to  carry 


494  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

the  Word  to  all  parts  of  the  diocese,  but  also  in  its  ex- 
pansion, growth,  and  prosperity.  The  Bishop  stopped  at 
no  undertaking  or  expense  to  develop  his  institution,  and 
soon  the  extensive  building,  which  he  provided  for  the 
Seminary,  and  which  some  one  criticised  as  "  a  palatial 
mansion  suited  for  an  Asiatic  potentate,"  proved  too 
small  for  the  accommodation  of  the  students.  Such  was 
the  origin,  and  such  the  growth  of  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary of  St.  Charles  Borromeo,  in  Philadelphia,  which 
now  possesses  also  its  Preparatory  Seminary  in  Delaware 
County,  Pennsylvania.  The  former  was  incorporated  by 
the  Legislature  in  1838,  and  was  confided  by  the  Bishop 
to  the  care  and  conduct  of  the  Lazarists,  who  continued 
its  management  till  1853,  when,  after  Bishop  Kenrick's 
translation  to  the  Archiepiscopal  See  of  Baltimore,  they 
were  succeeded  by  the  secular  clergy. 

Bishop  Kenrick  was  ever  a  model  to  his  clergy,  and 
while  he  was  truly  a  father  to  them,  he  felt  and  exercised 
a  father's  solicitude  in  training  them  to  be  not  only  worthy 
of  their  high  vocation,  but  exemplary  ornaments  of  the 
sanctuary.  So  broad  were  his  views  and  feelings,  and 
so  strictly  just  and  impartial,  that  no  one  could  detect  in 
him  the  least  appearance  of  partiality  to  any  on  account 
of  nationality.  So  much  was  this  the  case,  that  some  even 
supposed  that  he  was  not  mindful  of  his  own  country- 
men ;  but  they  did  not  comprehend  the  depths  of  a  char- 
acter so  grand  as  his,  a  character  so  imbued  with  Catho- 
lic love,  that  while  loving  all  alike,  he  was  equally  mindful 
of  all. 

In  placing  his  Theological  Seminary  under  the  special 
patronage  of  St.  Charles  Borromeo,  he  presented  that 
illustrious  ecclesiastic  to  them  as  a  model ;  and  he  is  not 
only  known  to  have  had  a  great  admiration  for  and  devo- 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.     495 

tion  to  that  great  Saint,  but  it  may  even  be  remarked  that 
there  were  some  striking  points  of  resemblance  between 
the  sainted  Cardinal  Archbishop  of  Milan  and  Archbishop 
Kenrick  himself.  The  one,  like  the  other,  illustrated  the 
highest  virtues  and  abilities  of  the  ecclesiastical  life,  pre- 
senting to  the  world  an  example  of  what  a  Christian  Prelate 
should  be,  and  each  gave  his  whole  life,  his  labors  and 
his  brilliant  intellect,  to  the  service  of  God  and  His 
Church.  During  the  devastation  of  the  cholera  in  Phi- 
ladelphia in  1832,  Bishop  Kenrick  was  truly  the  chief 
pastor  of  his  flock  and  a  model  of  heroic  charity.  He 
devoted  himself  to  their  temporal  relief  and  religious 
consolation,  and  was  ever  found  amongst  the  most  active 
and  devoted  in  the  midst  of  the  pestilence.  With  a  mind 
characteristically  intent  on  doing  good  and  an  remedying 
the  evils  of  society,  he  witnessed  with  pain  the  prevalence 
of  intemperance  in  the  country,  and  conceived  the  plan 
of  getting  the  illustrious  "  Apostle  of  Temperance," 
Father  Mathew,  to  visit  this  country,  and  sent  the  invi- 
tation to  him  to  extend  his  exalted  labors  to  our  land. 
The  divisions  of  Christendom  grieved  his  soul,  and  he 
zealously  labored  to  remove  religious  prejudice.  Moved 
by  the  spirit  of  Catholic  charity  and  zeal  for  Christian 
unity,  he  addressed  an  able  and  convincing  letter  on  that 
subject  to  the  Bishops  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
in  1841.  This  admirable  document  is  a  sublime  plea  for 
unity,  and  is  couched  in  language  eloquent,  simple,  and 
unanswerable. 

Bishop  Kenrick  was  intent  on  the  establishment  of 
religious  and  charitable  institutions  for  the  relief  of  human 
suffering,  for  the  reformation  of  morals,  the  redemption 
of  the  fallen,  and  for  the  instruction  of  the  ignorant. 
The  diocese  of  Philadelphia,  which  then  embraced  the 


496  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

States  of  Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  and  the  western  part  of 
New  Jersey,  under  his  vigorous  and  wise  administration, 
soon  began  to  teem  with  Catholic  institutions  and  religious 
orders.  In  1842,  the  Order  of  St.  Augustine  commenc- 
ed their  college  of  St.  Thomas  at  Villanova,  Delaware 
County,  and,  though  the  destruction  of  their  church  and 
library  at  Philadelphia  during  the  riots  of  1844  exhaust- 
ed their  resources  and  deranged  their  plans,  they  were, 
notwithstanding,  able  by  their  persevering  energy  to  re- 
sume the  classes  of  their  College  in  1846,  in  which  year 
the  institution  was  incorporated  as  a  University.  The 
Jesuits  established  St.  Joseph's  College  in  Philadelphia 
in  1851,  and  obtained  an  incorporation  for  it  in  1852.  In 
the  same  year  another  College,  under  the  patronage  of  St. 
Joseph,  was  commenced  by  the  Rev.  J.  Vincent  O'Reilly 
in  Susquehanna  County.  When  Bishop  Kenrick  went 
to  Philadelphia,  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  numbering  a  very 
few  subjects,  had  charge  of  the  asylum  ;  under  his  ad- 
ministration they  expanded  and  multiplied  into  six  reli- 
gious communities,  dispensing  around  them  the  blessings 
of  chanty  and  education.  The  ladies  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  entered  the  diocese  of  Philadelphia  in  1842,  and 
opened  a  boarding-school  for  girls  at  McSherrystown 
near  the  Jesuit  Station  of  Conewago;  they  next  opened 
a  school  in  Philadelphia  in  1847,  and  in  1849,  the  com- 
modious and  beautiful  establishment  known  as  Eden 
Hall,  took  its  place  amongst  the  first  educational  houses 
in  the  country.  The  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph  came  from 
St.  Louis  to  Philadelphia  in  1848  ;  their  novitiate  was  es- 
tablished at  the  old  convent  of  the  Sacred  Heart  at 
McSherrystown,  from  which  numerous  colonies  were 
sent  forth,  and  many  academies  and  asylums  were  founded 
by  them,  and  are  now  in  successful  operation.  Under 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.     497 

Dr.  Kenrick's  administration,  the  Sisters  of  the  Visita- 
tion B.V.M.,  the  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame,  and  the  Sisters 
of  the  Good  Shepherd,,  were  introduced,  each  establish- 
ing and  conducting  the  institutions  peculiar  to  their  own 
institute.  The  establishments  founded  by  these  various 
male  and  female  Orders  received  every  encouragement 
from  Dr.  Kenrick,  and  in  several  instances  the  most  sub- 
stantial assistance.  His  learned  and  saintly  successor 
used  to  say,  that  everything  useful  in  the  diocese  owed 
its  existence  or  its  strength  to  Bishop  Kenrick.  His 
prudent  and  characteristic  way  of  commencing  and  pro- 
moting good  works  and  institutions  has  been  well  de- 
scribed by  Dr.  O'Connor.  He  says  :— 

"As  with  the  Seminary,  so  it  was  with  the  other 
works  of  Bishop  Kenrick.  Yet  this  was  almost  the  only 
one  in  founding  and  directing  which  he  acted  singly  and 
on  his  own  isolated  views.  For  the  rest,  while  encour- 
aging and  stimulating  and  directing,  he  was  generally 
satisfied  with  leaving  it  to  others  to  originate  and  push 
on  as  their  own  zeal  would  prompt.  His  zeal,  his  piety, 
his  laborious  and  ever  vigilant  habits  exercised  a  gentle 
pressure  that  quickened  all.  He  was  as  a  beacon-light, 
to  which  all  looked  or  could  not  help  looking  who  kept 
their  view  fixed  on  the  proper  goal.  The  movement  so 
impressed  became  natural  and  almost  spontaneous,  and 
was  felt  even  when  he  did  not  appear,  and  continued 
when  he  retired  from  the  scene,  and  was  more  stable, 
more  powerful  and  widespread  than  the  result  of  incli 
vidual  action  could  have  been.  Those  only  who  carefully 
trace  effects  to  their  causes,  can  see  how  much  of  it  was 
due  to  the  steady,  silent,  but  efficient  action  of  him  who 
was  at  the  helm." 

•  Dr.  O'Connor'*  Lecture. 

3* 


498  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

Embarrassing  and  harassing  as  was  the  position  of 
Bishop  Kenrick,  when  he  was  called  to  assume  the  reins 
of  ecclesiastical  government  in  Philadelphia,  then  dis- 
tracted with  disaffection  and  dissension;  difficult  and 
trying  as  was  his  contest  with  lay  trusteeism,  there  was 
yet  reserved  for  him  a  cross  more  painful,  a  chalice  more 
bitter.  Scarcely  has  any  portion  of  the  Christian  Church 
in  any  age,  been  doomed  to  a  more  cruel  and  brutal  per- 
secution than  was  the  Church  of  Philadelphia  in  the  time 
of  Bishop  Kenrick.  "  He  has  beheld  the  long  gathering 
and  long  threatening  clouds  of  religious  bigotry  break  at 
length  in  a  terrific  storm  over  his  Church,  leaving  behind 
ruins  and  devastations,  appalling  by  their  magnitude  and 
atrocity.  He  has  been  made  to  witness  scenes  harrow- 
ing to  the  tenderest  feelings  of  his  heart;  scenes  such 
as  his  darkest  forebodings  would  scarcely  have  antici- 
pated; his  churches  burned  to  the  ground  by  infuriated 
mobs  ;  the  ministers  of  holy  religion  threatened  with  as- 
sassination, and  trembling  for  their  lives ;  seminaries  of 
learning,  residences  of  the  clergy,  valuable  libraries,  all 
consumed  in  the  ruthless  flames ;  and  what  is  far  more 
dreadful  still,  the  solemn  quietude  and  sanctity  of  the 
tomb  invaded,  the  last  resting-place  of  the  dead  torn  up 
by  the  hands  of  the  living."  The  cross,  sacred  emblem 
of  God's  mercy  and  man's  redemption,  was  torn  from  its 
heaven-aspiring  pinnacle  and  consigned  to  the  flames; 
Catholics  were  hunted  down  to  such  a  degree  that 
Protestants,  in  order  to  protect  themselves,  posted  on 
their  houses  a  placard  on  which  were  inscribed  the 
words,  "No  Popery  here;"  while  Catholic  citizens  were 
consumed  in  the  burning  of  their  own  homes.  A  Protes- 
tant writer  thus  sums  up  the  sickening  story:  "The  Na- 
tive American  party  has  existed  for  a  period  hardly 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  K enrich,  D.D.    499 

reaching  five  months,  and  in  that  time  of  its  being  what 
has  been  seen  ?  Two  Catholic  churches  burnt,  one  thrice 
fired  and  desecrated,  a  Catholic  seminary  and  retreat 
consumed  by  the  torches  of  an  incendiary  mob,  two  rec- 
tories and  a  most  valuable  library  destroyed,  forty  dwell- 
ings in  ruins,  about  forty  human  lives  sacrificed,  and 
sixty  of  our  fellow-citizens  wounded ;  riot,  and  rebellion, 
and  treason  rampant  on  two  occasions  in  our  midst ;  the 
laws  boldly  set  at  defiance>  and  peace  and  order  pros- 
trated by  ruffian  violence."  * 

In  the  midst  of  this  violent  storm  and  sacrilegious 
reign  of  terror,  Bishop  Kenrick's  voice  was  heard  only 
to  exhort  his  flock,  the  victims  of  this  fiendish  persecu- 
tion, "to  follow  peace  and  have  charity."  His  address  to 
his  flock,  containing  these  sublime  words,  in  the  midst  of 
such  exasperating  wrongs,  was  posted  throughout  the 
city,  and  was  immediately  torn  down  by  the  bigots. 
Bishop  Kenrick  ordered  divine  service  to  be  suspended 
"in  the  churches  that  yet  remained,"  as  a  solemn  pro- 
test against  the  prevailing  spirit  of  sacrilege  and  bigotry, 
and,  in  order  to  allay  excitement  and  remove  the  temp- 
tations to  greater  violence  by  the  mob,  he  himself  pru- 
dently retired  from  the  scene.  In  his  lecture  on  Arch- 
bishop Kenrick  and  his  Work,  Dr.  O'Connor  ably 
justifies  the  measures  adopted  by  him  in  this  crisis,  and 
says  :— 

"  Events  justified  his  course.  The  torrent  that,  if  re- 
sisted, would  have  accumulated  its  waters  and  eventually 
swept  on  with  greater  fury,  rolled  by  and  spent  itself. 
His  order  to  suspend  divine  service  in  the  churches  that 
yet  remained,  was  the  severest  rebuke  the  fanatics  could 
have  received.  The  tramp  of  the  sentinel  pacing  before 

•  Oth't  Branch,  [(/.  S.  Catholic  Maga*i*e,  1845,  p.  I2.J 


500  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

the  house  of  God,  deserted  on  the  Lord's  Day,  with  this 
order  posted  on  the  walls,  was  a  comment  on  the  spirit 
that  had  taken  possession  of  the  '  City  of  Brotherly 
Love,'  which  roused  the  better  minded.  Peace  was  re- 
stored on  a  more  solid  basis  than  ever  before  existed, 
and  Catholicity  assumed  a  higher  position." 
*  "The  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  everywhere 
flocking  around  the  confessional  and  the  communion- 
table in  the  city,  where  a  few  dozen  were  a  rare  sight 
before;  the  spirit  of  charity  manifesting  itself  in  every 
good  work  in  private  life  and  public  undertakings ;  the 
harmony  of  priests  and  people,  and  of  all  with  their 
head ;  their  readiness  to  enter  with  generous  alacrity  on 
every  good  work  that  is  proposed  to  them ;  the  abundant 
supply  thus  received  for  all  the  people's  wants;  and  the 
life  pervading  the  Catholic  body  in  every  corner  of  the 
State,  are  the  best  comments  on  the  spirit,  the  wisdom, 
and  the  efficiency  of  Bishop  Kenrick's  administration." 

The  extensive  diocese  over  which  Bishop  Kenrick 
presided,  embracing,  as  it  did,  all  Pennsylvania  and 
Delaware,  and  a  part  of  New  Jersey,  had  increased  so 
greatly  in  Catholic  population,  clergy,  churches,  and  in- 
stitutions, and  extended  over  so  vast  an  area  of  country, 
that  it  had  for  some  time  been  apparent  that  its  division 
into  several  dioceses  was  inevitable.  As  early  as  1835, 
Bishop  Kenrick  proposed  to  the  Cardinal  Prefect  of  the 
Propaganda  a  division  of  his  diocese,  by  the  erection 
of  a  new  See  at  Pittsburgh,  and  he  recommended  the 
appointment  of  Dr.  Hughes  as  Bishop  either  of  Phila- 
delphia or  Pittsburgh,  as  might  seem  most  expedient  to 
the  Holy  See.  His  suggestion  was  approved,  and  in 
January,  1836,  the  documents  erecting  the  new  See  of 
Pittsburgh,  and  translating  Dr.  Kenrick  to  it  and  appoint- 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.     501 

ing  Dr.  Hughes  Coadjutor  and  Administrator  of  Philadel- 
phia, were  actually  prepared  at  Rome.  In  the  meantime, 
the  appointment  of  Dr.  Kenrick  himself  as  Coadjutor  of 
New  York  was  spoken  of.  The  advanced  years  and  feeble 
health  of  body  and  mind  of  Bishop  Conwell  had  caused 
him  to  feel  restive  under  the  loss  of  his  jurisdiction,  and 
he  was  now  again  disposed  to  intervene  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  diocese.  When  these  circumstances  were 
known  abroad,  a  coloring  was  given  to  the  affair  at 
Rome,  as  if  Dr.  Kenrick  was  abandoning  his  post  in 
despair,  or  was  wanting  in  courage.  Bishop  England 
in  the  meantime  had  suggested  some  canonical  objec- 
tions to  the  division  of  the  diocese  until  the  meeting  of 
the  Council  at  Baltimore.  When  Dr.  Kenrick  learned 
of  the  erroneous  impressions  entertained  of  his  course 
and  motives,  he  wrote  to  Rome  to  state  his  reasons 
against  his  removal  to  New  York  as  Coadjutor  of 
Bishop  Dubois,  proposing  to  postpone  all  question  of  his 
removal  to  Pittsburgh,  and  deferring  the  whole  matter 
till  the  meeting  of  the  Council.  The  third  and  fifth 
Councils  of  Baltimore  having  subsequently  recommended 
the  division  of  the  diocese  of  Philadelphia,  this  was  ac- 
cordingly done  in  1843  ;  Pittsburgh  was  erected  into  an 
episcopal  See,  and  Dr.  Michael*  O'Connor  was  appointed 
its  first  Bishop.  Bishop  Kenrick  remained  in  Philadelphia 
to  strengthen  the  work  he  had  so  ably  commenced,  en- 
riching that  diocese  with  commodious  churches,  zealous 
clergymen,  and  excellent  charitable,  religious,  and  edu- 
cational institutions. 

It  was  during  this  remaining  portion  of  his  episcopate 
in  Philadelphia,  that  the  severest  ordeal  that  any  Bishop 
could  be  called  upon  to  encounter,  was  reserved  for  him, 
and  it  has  already  been  related  how,  amidst  the  desecra- 


502  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

tion  and  burning  of  his  churches  and  institutions,  the 
persecution  of  his  clergy,  and  the  slaughter  of  his  people, 
his  mild  and  gentle  spirit  realized  the  heavenly  beati- 
tudes announced  by  the  Saviour  on  Mount  Tabor.  The 
work  of  rebuilding  the  temples  and  institutions,  which 
had  cost  so  many  years  of  toil  and  solicitude  and  the  ex- 
penditure of  so  much  treasure,  was  undertaken  and  con- 
summated during  this  period.  He  undertook  more  than 
this — he  saw  the  need  of  a  suitable  Cathedral  for  Phila- 
delphia;  in  1837,  when  Dr.  Hughes  was  appointed  Co- 
adjutor of  New  York,  he  took  up  his  residence  at  St. 
John's  Church,  and  made  it  his  Cathedral;  he  now 
undertook  the  erection  of  the  grand  Cathedral  of  St. 
Peter  and  St.  Paul,  a  work  beset  with  many  difficulties 
and  delays,  but  through  which  he  persevered,  and 
brought  it  to  an  advanced  stage  of  progress.  He  had 
the  consolation,  before  his  death,  of  seeing  it  used  for 
the  service  of  the  Living  God,  a  temple  worthy  of  the 
Christian  name,  and  an  ornament  to  the  episcopal  city. 
When  summoned,  in  1851,  to  another  and  higher 
sphere  of  labor  and  dignity  in  the  Church,  by  the  recom- 
mendation of  his  colleagues  and  the  approving  voice  of 
Rome,  he  had  done  a  noble  part  by  the  diocese  of  Phila- 
delphia, which  he  had  found  distracted  and  desolate, 
and  which  he  left  in  harmony  and  prosperity.  When  he 
went  to  Philadelphia,  in  1830,  that  diocese  contained 
only  thirty  priests ;  when  he  was  transferred  to  Balti- 
more, in  1851,  he  left  to  his  successor  one  hundred  and 
one  priests  and  forty-six  seminarians,  ninety-four  churches 
and  eight  chapels,  besides  a  splendid  array  of  male 
and  female  religious  orders  and  of  Catholic  institu- 
tions. 

On  the  death  of  the   Most  Rev.  Samuel  Eccleston, 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.     503 

Archbishop  of  Baltimore,  Bishop  Kenrick  was  regarded 
on  all  sides  as  the  most  suitable  Prelate  to  succeed  him 
in  the  Archiepiscopal  See.  Rome  ratified  the  general 
choice,  and  by  Letters  Apostolic,  dated  August  3,  1851, 
he  was  translated  from  Philadelphia  to  Baltimore.  The 
Sovereign  Pontiff,  also,  by  his  brief  of  August  19,  in  the 
same  year,  appointed  Archbishop  Kenrick  Apostolic 
Delegate,  with  a  presidency  over  the  National  Councils, 
composed  of  the  whole  episcopate  of  the  United  States. 
By  a  decree  of  the  Sacred  Congregation  of  the  Propa- 
ganda, confirmed  by  his  Holiness,  Pope  Pius  IX.,  July 
25,  1858,  the  prerogative  of  place  in  the  United  States 
was  granted  to  the  Archbishops  of  Baltimore,  so  that  in 
councils,  assemblies,  and  ecclesiastical  meetings  of  every 
kind,  precedence  was  to  be  given  to  them,  and  the  seat 
of  honor  above  all  Archbishops  and  Bishops  present, 
without  regard  to  the  order  of  promotion  or  conse- 
cration. 

The  first  great  act  of  Archbishop  Kenrick  was  to  sum- 
mon together  the  Prelates  of  the  United  States  in  Na- 
tional Council,  May  9,  1852,  and  he  was  the  first  to  pre- 
side over  so  august  an  assembly.  Five  Archbishops, 
twenty-six  Bishops,  and  a  large  number  of  theologians 
sat  in  this,  the  most  imposing  ecclesiastical  body  that  had 
as  yet  been  convened  in  this  country.  A  large  increase 
of  episcopal  sees  was  among  the  results  of  their  deliber- 
ations, and  the  Pastoral  Letter,  prepared  in  the  grand 
and  unequalled  style  of  Archbishop  Kenrick,  which  the 
Bathers  of  the  first  National  Council  addressed  to  the 
clergy  and  faithful  of  their  flocks,  is  one  of  the  most  pro- 
found and  truly  apostolical  documents  that  ever  emanated 
from  any  assembly  of  the  church.  Subsequently  he  con- 
tinued to  hold  every  three  years  the  Provincial  Councils 


504  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

of  the  Prelates  suffragan  to  the  Archiepiscopal  See  of 
Baltimore,  whose  deliberations  and  decrees,  under  the 
wise,  zealous,  and  learned  leadership  of  Archbishop 
Kenrick,  had  a  most  salutary  influence  on  religion,  edu- 
cation, and  ecclesiastical  discipline.  It  was  not  reserved 
for  him  to  preside  over  another  National  Council  of  the 
American  Church,  for  in  1862,  the  time  for  the  assem- 
bling of  the  Second  National  Council,  the  country  was 
distracted  with  civil  war,  and  more  than  half  of  his  own 
suffragans  were  separated  from  him  by  great  armies  and 
vast  battle-fields. 

In  the  Councils  of  the  Church  in  this  country  Dr. 
Kenrick  took  a  most  influential  part.  His  first  appear- 
ance in  them  was  as  theologian  to  Bishop  Flaget  in  the 
First  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore.  Immediately 
afterwards  he  was  appointed  Coadjutor  Bishop  of  Phila- 
delphia, in  1830,  and  from  that  time  to  his  death,  in 
1863,  his  profound  learning,  his  high  ecclesiastical  char- 
acter, and  .his  ever-ready,  fluent,  and  classic  pen  drew 
him  into  a  position  of  influence  and  prominence  from 
which  his  own  modesty  and  humility  would  have  retired. 
In  preparing  the  most  important  decrees  and  composing 
the  pastoral  addresses  of  these  learned  and  dignified  as- 
semblies, his  attainments  as  a  scholar  and  legislator 
were  exercised  in  giving  shape  and  permanent  form  to 
those  deliberations,  to  which  his  wisdom,  learning,  and 
zeal  had  already  done  so  much  in  guiding.  It  was  -re- 
marked by  his  colleagues  in  those  Councils,  that  while 
all  around  were  engaged  in  conversation  or  debate,  Dr. 
Kenrick  would  be  seated  at  his  desk  penning  the  most 
beautiful  and  classical  productions,  embodying  the  senti- 
ments and  conclusions  arrived  at,  clothed  in  the  purest 
Scriptural  language,  teeming  with  sacred  lore  and  redo- 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.    505 

lent  with  profound  piety  and  saintly  unction.  One  of 
his  distinguished  colleagues  said  of  him  in  the  Second 
National  Council,  which  assembled  after  his  death, 
"How  many  of  his  brother  Bishops  leaned  upon  him 
for  counsel  and  advice,  and  how  cheerfully  and  readily 
was  it  given."  A  learned  writer,  after  speaking  of  the 
literary  merit  of  Dr.  Kenrick's  theological  works,  re- 
marked, "The  canons  and  decrees  of  the  Councils  held 
at  Baltimore,  which  England's  first  Orientalist,  Cardinal 
Wiseman,  ranks  with  those  of  Milan,  display  an  equally 
correct  taste."* 

Archbishop  Kenrick,  on  his  assumption  of  the  reins  of 
government  at  Baltimore,  found  a  diocese  well  supplied 
with  churches,  clergy,  and  religious,  educational,  and 
charitable  institutions.  These  he  sustained,  enlarged, 
and  greatly  developed.  But  his  zeal  and  wisdom  found 
new  fields  of  benevolent  labor.  Many  noble  establish- 
ments grew  up  under  his  auspices,  and  religious  orders 
were  encouraged  and  new  ones  introduced,  and  every 
good  work  in  the  diocese  received  new  energies  and 
success  under  his  vigilant  administration.  Thus  we  be- 
hold such  noble  charities  as  the  Infant  Asylum,  the 
Aged  Women's  Home,  St.  Agnes'  Asylum  for  Destitute 
Sick,  the  New  Mount  Hope,  the  Convent  of  the  Sisters 
of  Mercy,  the  Chapel  and  School  of  St.  Laurence,  at 
Locust  Point,  and  others  of  like  character  and  useful- 
ness rising  up  and  thriving  under  his  paternal  care.  It 
was  also  during  his  administration  that  the  work  of  com- 
pleting the  portico  of  the  Cathedral  was  undertaken, 
and  that  the  Jesuit  Fathers  erected  their  splendid  Church 
of  St.  Ignatius,  and  established  the  College  of  Loyola. 
St.  Charles  College,  for  the  education  of  candidates  for 

•    The  Metropolitan,  1^54.  p.  74- 


506  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

the  priesthood,  received  a  large  share  of  his  powerf.-l 
assistance.  The  clergy  of  Maryland,  educated  under 
his  eye,  or  enjoying  the  benefits  of  his  guidance  and  ex- 
ample, as  priests  are  a  credit  to  his  memory,  and  would 
as  a  body  do  honor  to  any  part  of  the  Universal  Church. 
Archbishop  Kenrick,  at  the  invitation  of  Pope  Pius 
IX.,  repaired  to  Rome  in  1854,  in  order  to  take  part  in 
the  deliberations  which  resulted  in  the  dogmatic  defini- 
tion of  the  Immaculate  Conception.  He  and  Dr.  O'Con- 
nor, then  Bishop  of  Pittsburgh,  sailed  together  in  the 
steamer  Atlantic,  October  14,  1854.  The  Archbishop, 
at  the  invitation  of  the  captain,  preached  on  board  the 
steamer  on  the  Sunday  which  occurred  during  the  voyage. 
,  He  called  on  Mr.  Buchanan,  the  American  Minister  at  Lon- 
don, by  whom  he  and  his  colleague  were  received  with 
prompt  and  cordial  courtesy,  and  on  Cardinal  Wiseman, 
with  whom  they  dined  on  the  following  day.  Accom- 
panied by  the  Cardinal,  the  American  Prelates  made  the 
journey  to  Rome  via  Paris.  On  arriving  at  the  Eternal 
City,  Archbishop  Kenrick's  mind  became  absorbed  in  the 
great  religious  and  theological  subject  which  had  brought 
him  thither,  the  Immaculate  Conception.  During  the 
whole  journey  to  Rome  he  appeared  to  be  meditating 
on  this  subject,  ever  seeking  opportunities  for  retirement 
and  study,  and  visiting  only  a  few  places  of  historical  in- 
terest, and  only  those  in  order  to  gratify  others.  After 
his  arrival  at  Rome  he  paid  a  few  visits  rendered  neces- 
sary by  courtesy,  or  prompted  by  devotion ;  he  then 
earnestly  went  to  work.  Nine  large  volumes  of  docu- 
ments on  the  subject  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  were 
supplied  to  the  Prelates  at  Rome,  and  in  the  short  period 
that  intervened,  Archbishop  Kenrick  devoured  the  con- 
tents of  them  all.  Ever  a  devoted  client  of  Mary,  his 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.    507 

devotion  now  became  more  intense.  He  rejoiced  from 
his  heart  at  this  crowning  glory  to  the  devotion  of  Mary. 
His  Pastoral  Letter,  on  his  return  to  his  diocese,  is  full 
of  profound  learning,  interesting  information,  and  tedder 
piety.  His  perfect  faith,  his  clear  intellect,  and  well- 
stored  memory  presented  the  subject  in  the  most  attract- 
ive and  convincing  manner.  Indeed,  he  saw  everything 
in  the  light  of  faith,  and  weighed  everything  in  the 
scales  of  heaven.  The  action  of  the  Church  of  God 
upon  the  world,  upon  men  and  society,  was  to  him  one 
symmetrical  and  consistent  whole ;  varied,  it  is  true,  and 
often  differing  in  its  mode  of  application  according  to 
the  wants  of  successive  ages,  yet  unique,  consistent,  lu- 
minous, wonderful,  and  divinely  guided.  He  walked 
upon  the  earth  with  his  eye  and  his  heart  turned  to- 
wards heaven.  His  countenance  beamed  with  the  light 
of  faith  and  the  joy  of  innocence,  his  tongue  flowed 
with  the  eloquence  of  truth,  and  his  daily  life  was  illus- 
trated by  devotion  and  charity.  Time  was  to  him  a  gift 
of  Divine  Providence,  a  trust  for  our  own  and  our  neigh 
bor's  good ;  a  mere  preparation  for  eternity.  His  great 
faith  was  the  admiration  of  his  cotemporaries ;  it  was  so 
simple  yet  so  profound,  so  easy  yet  so  sure,  so  firm  yet 
so  humble.  His  devotion  to  the  Church  was  a  part  and 
parcel  of  his  love  of  God,  whose  spouse  she  is.  His 
devotion  to  the  Apostolic  See  was  a  necessary  result  of 
his  faith.  While  he  realized  the  sublime  dignity  of  the 
sacerdotal  office,  especially  in  its  collective  capacity,  he 
especially  admired  that  humility  which  is  inseparable 
from  its  highest  perfection.  Himself  a  venerated  and 
leading  ruler  in  the  Church,  he  was  at  the  same  time 
one  of  its  humblest  members.  Thus  he  was  always  ac- 
cessible to  the  poorest  and  lowest  of  mankind,  evincing 


508  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

as  much,  if  not  greater,  pleasure  in  witnessing  virtue  in 
the  humblest  walks  of  life  as  amongst  the  most  favored. 
He  was  so  accessible  to  all,  that  his  servant,  who  an- 
swered to  the  calls  at  the  door,  was  in  the  habit  of  intro- 
ducing all  who  called,  without  distinction,  immediately 
into  his  study,  and  without  further  announcement.  He 
was  so  patient  and  kind  to  all  who  called  on  him,  that 
many  of  the  simple  and  ignorant  trespassed  on  his  time 
beyond  all  measure,  yet  he  was  never  known  to  show 
the  least  desire  to  terminate  the  visits  thus  paid  him. 
He  always  arose  in  the  morning  at  five  o'clock,  during 
winter  and  summer,  and  said  his  Mass  at  six.  After  Mass 
he  performed  his  thanksgiving  and  private  devotions, 
and  then  was  ready  to  hear  the  confessions  of  any  who 
presented  themselves.  He  was  familiar  with  the  French, 
Italian,  Spanish,  and  German  languages,  so  that  his  con- 
fessional was  surrounded  by  penitents  who  spoke  those 
tongues.  His  library  was  his  next  resort,  where  he  spent 
most  of  the  day  in  preparing  his  works,  amidst  the  nu- 
merous interruptions  to  which  his  easiness  of  access  ex- 
posed him.  In  the  intervals  between  these  interruptions, 
he  resumed  his  pen  and  continued  his  work,  without  the 
least  annoyance  or  sense  of  inconvenience.  At  one  time 
it  would  be  some  poor  person  asking  alms,  at  another  a 
child  seeking  instruction  for  first  communion,  at  another 
some  veteran  sinner  seeking  guidance  and  forgiveness, 
and  at  another  a  sick  call ;  he  attended  to  all  these  with 
equal  patience  and  pleasure.  He  would  go  at  night  to 
attend  to  a  sick  call,  and  next  morning  would  be  seen  at 
the  altar  at  his  usual  hour.  His  health  at  times  was  in- 
firm and  even  distressing,  but  it  was  with  difficulty  that 
others  discovered  it;  and  on  more  than 'one  occasion  he 
endured  severe  surgical  operations  without  any  one  in 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.     509 

the  house  being  disturbed,  or  even  knowing  how  much 
he  suffered. 

No  one  ever  excelled  him  in  indifference  to  money.    He 
was  never  known  to  make  the  least  movement  in  this  re- 
gard in  his  own  behalf,  how  great  soever  might  have 
been  his  necessities.     When  he  arrived  in  Philadelphia 
his   means  of  support  were  extremely  precarious,  and 
even  scant.    -He  never  thought  of   seeking  a  remedy. 
It  was  only  by  a  spontaneous  movement  of  his  clergy 
that  a  remedy  was  applied.     He  used  frequently  to  say 
pleasantly  of  himself,  that  although  he  had  for  more  than 
thirty  years  been  a  writer  of  Catholic  works,  he  had  in 
all  that  time  made   only  two  hundred  dollars  by  all  his 
labors.     His  liberality  on  many  occasions  astonished  all ; 
for  while  they  knew  the  limited  resources  at  his  com- 
mand, they  saw  him  surpassing  others  in  the  generosity 
of  his  charities  and  his  donations  to  benevolent,  religious, 
and  other  good  works ;  it  was   discovered  that  on  such 
occasions  he  actually  gave  all  he  had,  trusting  to  Provi- 
dence to  provide  for  his. few  and  simple  wants.     When 
he  left  Philadelphia  to  take  possession  of  the  Archiepis- 
copal  See  of  Baltimore,  all-  the  valuables  he  took  with 
him  were  the  contents  of  a  small  carpet-bag,  and  little 
more  money  than  sufficed  to  pay  his  passage.     After  his 
death,  if  his  executor  had  assets  on  hand  sufficient  to 
pay  his  debts,  this  was  all.     He  was  frequently  without 
the  means  of  giving  alms  to  the  poor  who  applied  to 
him,  and  was  repeatedly  known  to  shed  tears  at  his  ina- 
bility to  give  more,  even  after  he  had  bestowed  his  whole 
stock  of  cash  on  some  poor  person.     "The  man  of  faith, 
absorbed  by  the  great  effects  of  faith,  cares  little  for  the 
honors,  or  pleasures,  or  riches  of  the  world  ;  and  such 
eminently  was  Archbishop  Kenrick."      "  Yet,   notwith- 


510  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

standing  his  occupations  and  his  trials,  he  could  relish 
and  make  a  joke  ;  he  could  enjoy  and  exhibit  an  hilarity, 
which,  though  not  boisterous,  was  sincere ;  for  it  is 
nowhere  more  genuine  than  in  souls  at  peace  with  God."  * 
He  was  frequently  pressed  with  invitations  to  social 
gatherings,  but  he  usually  declined  them  from  a  love  of 
retirement ;  but  his  friends  could  detect  a  peculiar  ex 
pression  of  satisfaction,  and  an  arch  smile-  on  his  coun- 
tenance, when  he  was  able  to  give  as  his  excuse  for  not 
accepting  an  invitation,  the  necessity  of  giving  all  his 
time  to  some  work,  on  which  he  was  engaged.  It  be- 
came a  frequent  pleasantry  among  the  Catholics  of  Bal- 
timore, that  there  was  no  use  in  inviting  the  Archbishop 
to  dinner,  because  he  was  writing  a  book.  The  ladies 
would  frequently  wait  patiently  for  the  completion  of  the 
work  in  hand,  for  then  it  was  rumored  around  that  he 
would  pay  some  visits  ;  but,  to  their  consternation,  they  no 
sooner  heard  of  his  finishing  one  work  than  he  had  com- 
menced another.  The  Archbishop  would  enjoy  this  joke, 
when  related  to  him,  with  genuine  pleasure. 

It  has  been  written  of  Archbishop  Kenrick  that  "  his 
life  was  that  of  the  saint  and  the  scholar."  While  he 
spent  much  time  in  reading  and  study,  these  were  but 
the  necessary  preparations  for  a  series  of  works  which 
have  enriched  the  Catholic  literature  of  the  world,  and 
made  his  name  illustrious.  He  excelled  in  his  knowl- 
edge of  all  the  branches  of  ecclesiastical  learning ;  his 
familiarity  with  history,  theology,  canon  law,  and  the 
scriptures,  was  extraordinary  ;  he  was  at  home  in  ancient 
as  well  as  modern  languages,  and  the  Latin,  Greek,  and 
Hebrew,  were  greatly  used  by  him  in  the  preparation  of 
his  scriptural  works ;  his  Latin  works  were  remarkable  for 

*  Dr.  O'Connor's  Lecture. 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.     511 

their  purity  and  classic  elegance.  His  seven  volumes  of 
Dogmatic  and  Moral  Theology,  presenting  a  complete 
body  of  sacred  science,  were  produced  «in  the  midst  of 
the  most  active  duties  and  official  occupations.  "  The  ap- 
pearance of  so  large  a  work,  written  in  good  Latin  and 
intended  really  for  use,  was  a  source  of  wonder  to  the 
Protestant  public  and  clergy,  few  of  whom  could  even 
read  it  without  some  difficulty,  and  none  perhaps  with 
ease.  Considered  in  a  literary  point  of  view,  it  marks 
the  classic  character  of  our  writers,  a  familiarity  with 
Roman  literature,  which  is  unequalled  in  the  country."  * 
These  splendid  writings  have  become  well  known,  not 
only  in  this  country,  but  also  in  Europe,  and,  in  some  of 
the  discussions  growing  out  of  the  Vatican  Council,  have 
frequently  been  referred  to  and  quoted.  His  work  on 
the  Primacy  is  a  noble  tribute  from  his  devotion  to  the 
See  of  Peter  ;  his  studies  on  this  subject  have  been  ex- 
haustive, and  the  work  is  full  of  profound  thought  and 
erudition,  supplying  all  that  is  usually  needed  to  be 
known  upon  that  subject,  and  is  in  itself  most  attractive 
and  interesting.  In  the  later  editions,  the  learned  author 
added  chapters  o  i  collateral  subjects,  which  he  treated 
with  his  usual  ability,  and  which  proved  an  important 
addition  to  the  work.  His  Vindication  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  is  a  clear,  forcible,  and  unanswerable  defence  of 
the  Church  against  the  slanderous  accusations  which 
Protestants  have  too  long  been  in  the  habit  of  hurling 
recklessly  against  her.  His  edition  of  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures, the  last  and  one  of  the  most  remarkable  and  im- 
portant of  his  productions,  is  a  work  which  will  render 
invaluable  service  to  religion,  and  which  will  place  his 
name  among  the  foremost  of  divines  and  scholars.  The 

*  Tlu  Metropolitan.  1854,  p.  74. 


512  Livis  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

following  remarks  by  Dr.  O'Connor  will  serve  to  convey 
an  adequate  estimate  of  Archbishop  Kenrick's  labors  in 
this  regard  :— 

"  But  the  greatest  work  is  his  translation  and  notes  on 
the  Sacred  Scriptures.  To  appreciate  this  fully,  it  is 
necessary  to  understand  the  difficulties  that  beset  his 
path,  and  his  skill  in  surmounting  them.  The  correct 
reading  of  the  original  text  has  itself  alone  engaged  the 
whole  attention  of  learned  men.  Even  when  this  is  de- 
termined, it  is  a  matter  of  the  greatest  difficulty  to  fix  the 
correct  meaning  of  each  word  so  as  not  to  embrace  more 
or  say  less  in  the  translation  than  is  contained  in  the 
original.  For  this  purpose  a  man  must  be  familiar  with 
the  original  and  the  cognate  languages,  with  the  customs, 
laws,  and  history  of  the  people  with  whom  the  authors 
were  connected.  He  must  know  how  the  words  and 
phrases  were  understood  by  contemporary  and  succeed- 
ing generations,  and  must  bring  to  his  aid  those  other 
numerous  appliances  which  critics  point  out,  but  which 
it  is  so  much  more  easy  to  point  out  than  to  lay  hold  of 
and  apply  with  judgment. 

"  All  this  he  has  done,  and  done  well.  It  would  have 
been  more  easy  to  have  written  a  learned  commentary  of 
great  length  than  to  have- perfected  such  a  translation. 

"  His  notes  are  short  an  dappear  few,  but  they  are  a 
rich  mine.  His  aim  was  to  prepare  an  edition  which 
could  be  read  with  ease  and  safety  by  all,  and  to  add 
only  such  notes  as  were  necessary  to  meet  real  difficulties 
in  the  understanding  of  the  text,  leaving  out  the  ques- 
tions that  might  be  raised  on  it. 

"  It  is  amazing  how  much  solid  matter  he  has  com- 
pressed into  these  short  notes.  I  have  heard  several 
remark,  and  my  own  experience  accords  with  the  state- 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.    513 

ment,  that  you  seldom  meet  with  a  serious  difficulty  in 
the  reading  of  the  text  that  you  will  not  find  solved  in 
these  notes.  At  one  time  it  is  a  pithy  sentence  from  one 
of  the  Fathers,  at  another  a  remark  from  some  modern 
critic  ;  at  one  time  it  is  but  a  word,  at  another  a  refer- 
ence, but  it  lets  in  a  flood  of  light.  He  has  succeeded, 
particularly  in  these  pithy  remarks  full  of  learning,  in  es- 
tablishing and  vindicating,  by  the  latest  researches  of 
Biblical  science,  the  accuracy  of  the  version  in  use  in  the 
Catholic  Church. 

"  The  composition  of  these  learned  works  never  in- 
terfered with  the  discharge  of  official  duty  ;  they  never 
prevented  him  from  being  ready  to  receive  and  entertain 
any  that  called  on  him.  If  even  a  servant-girl  came  to 
visit  him,  he  would  lay  down  his  pen,  let  her  feel  at  home 
as  long  as  she  wished  to  stay,  and  then  resume  it  when 
she  thought  fit  to  retire." 

As  Archbishop  Kenrick  had  on  several  occasions  during 
his  life  been  placed  in  positions  the  most  trying  and  em- 
barrassing, so  towards  its  close  he  found  himself  again 
placed  in  circumstances  the  most  difficult  and  to  him  heart- 
rending. His  charity  to  all,  his  gentleness  in  the  han- 
dling of  difficult  questions,  and  the  perfect  clearness  with 
which  he  perceived  his  whole  duty,  and  the  unswerving 
firmness  with  which  he  ever  performed  it,  enabled  him 
to  pass  unscathed  through  the  peculiar  embarrassments 
attending  his  position  in  Baltimore  during  our  late  civil 
war.  As  he  had  never  taken  any  part  in  public  or 
political  affairs,  so  he  continued  now  to  confine  his  labors 
to  the  sacred  ministry  of  prayer,  sacrifice,  and  charity. 
He  directed  all  the  clergy  to  continue,  as  before,  the  re- 
citation of  the  usual  prayer  for  the  public  authorities. 
Having  done  this,  he  rested  satisfied  to  leave  to  the 
33 


514  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

State  the  affairs  of  the  State,  and  to  give  his  zeal  and 
labors  to  God  and  to  souls  ;  and  he  ceased  not  to  pray 
for  peace.  But  so  great  was  the  anguish  of  his  heart  at 
witnessing  the  desolate  scourges  of  war,  which  more 
than  once  advanced  within  and  beyond  the  limits  of  his 
own  diocese,  that  it  has  been  thought  that  his  death, 
which  followed  the  bloody  day  of  Gettysburg,  was 
-hastened  by  this  cause. 

There  was  no  perceptible  change  in  his  health  before 
his  death,  which  was  very  sudden  ;  but  as  he  always  lived 
in  the  fear  of  God,  in  innocence,  justice,  and  peace,  it 
was  not  unprovided.  On  several  occasions  long  preced- 
ing that  event,  while  amongst  his  most  intimate  friends, 
he  dropped  remarks  which  caused  them  to  believe  that 
he  had  received  a  warning  of  his  approaching  dissolution. 
Among  other  evidences  showing  that  he  was  in  the  daily 
expectation  and  preparation  for  death,  it  is  related  that 
he  had  in  his  possession  a  relic  of  the  Holy  Cross, 
which  he  preserved  with  special  veneration,  increased  by 
the  fact  that  it  had  formerly  belonged  to  the  venerable 
Bishop  Flaget,  whom  he  loved  so  much.  He  wished  to 
confide  it  to  the  custody  of  Dr.  O'Connor,  with  this  in- 
junction :  "  '  This  was  given  by  such  a  priest,  with  the 
condition  that  he  should  get  it  back  at  my  death,  and  you 
will  see  that  the  condition  be  fulfilled.'  Dr.  O'Connor 
returned  the  relic  to  the  Archbishop,  with  the  pleasant 
remark  that,  from  present  appearances,  it  would  be  more 
fit  for  him  to  give  to  the  Archbishop  commissions  to  be 
fulfilled  after  death.  '  Well  then,'  said  the  Archbishop, 
'  if  anything  happens,  inquiries  will  be  made  for  this ; ' 
and  he  laid  it  in  a  drawer,  where  it  was  most  sure  to  be 
met,  evidently  satisfied  that  he  had  thus  directed  atten- 
tion to  it,  and,  with  that  scrupulous  regard  to  the  mi 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.    515 

nutest  requirements  of  justice  for  which  he  was  always 
so  remarkable,  secured  its  return  to  its  owner,  as  actually 
took  place." 

The  admirable  account  given  of  his  death  by  Dr.  O'Con- 
nor, in  his  lecture  on  the  Archbishop,  is  as  follows  :— 

"  I  spent  some  hours  with  him  the  evening  before  he 
died.  I  sat  with  him  almost  until  he  retired  to  the  bed, 
from  which  he  awoke  into  eternity.  His  death,  as  you 
remember,  occurred  just  after  the  bloody  day  of  Gettys- 
burg. The  news  was  then  coming  into  Baltimore  by 
piecemeal.  Though  thousands  of  prisoners  and  wounded 
men  had  been  brought  into  the  city,  and  some  of  the 
principal  circumstances  were  known,  we  had  not  yet  re- 
ceived a  well-defined  account  of  the  battle  or  of  its  issue. 
His  conversation  was  chiefly  directed  to  what  the  end  of 
all  this  was  likely  to  be  ;  how  the  country  was  likely  to 
come  out  of  this  trying  ordeal.  There  was  an  expres- 
sion in  his  countenance,  an  anxiety  in  his  soul,  which  I 
never  witnessed  before.  The  tragic  scenes  which  were 
being  enacted,  the  dreadful  future  which  seemed  to 
threaten,  no  matter  how  that  day  ended,  pierced  his 
heart  with  the  most  poignant  grief.  His  feelings  were 
like  those  of  the  mother,  whose  child  Solomon  ordered 
to  be  cut  in  twain. 

"  Full  of  years  and 'of  merits,  and  yet  apparently  full 
of  vigor,  the  destroying  angel  laid  his  hand  on  him  that 
night.  Without  a  struggle,  for  his  body  lay  in  the  usual 
attitude  in  which  he  composed  himself  to  sleep,  with 
placid  countenance,  and  his  hands  crossed  o.ver  his  breast, 
in  one  holding  his  scapular,  he  was  found  dead  in  the 
morning — a  form  of  death,  terrible  indeed  to  those  for- 
getful of  God,  but  a  great  grace  to  one  who.  like  him, 
died  daily,  living  every  day  ready  for  the  call. 


516  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

"  Such  a  death  is  not  unprovided  for.  A  holy  life  is  the 
best  preparation  for  that  awful  passage,  and  it  was  a 
great  homage  to  his  virtue  that  no  one  seemed  to  feel 
the  least  uneasiness  that  death  had  come  to  him  in  that 
shape,  so  fully  were  all  convinced  that  habitually  he  was 
prepared.  Like  that  saint  of  old,  who,  when  admonish- 
ed to  make  his  confession  in  preparation  for  death,  re- 
plied :  '  Every  day  in  preparing  for  Mass,  I  made  my 
confession  as  if  for  death,  now  I  need  but  make  it  as  in 
preparation  for  Mass.'  Had  time  been  given  him,  he 
could  not  have  found  it  necessary  to  act  otherwise  than 
he  was  accustomed. 

"  Some  one  said,  and  I  think  truly,  that  he  died  al- 
most as  he  would  have  chosen,  had  the  choice  been 
offered  him.  Nothing  gave  him  more  pain  than  to  be  to 
any  one  an  occasion  of  trouble.  Had  he  suffered  a  lin- 
gering illness,  the  trouble  of  those  attending  him  would 
have  been  his  greatest  affliction. 

"  He  has  gone,  but  such  men  live  forever.  In  the 
history  of  the  Church  of  the  United  States,  the  chapter 
which  records  the  life  of  Archbishop  Kenrick  will  adorn 
one  of  its  brightest  pages.  His  spirit  has  been  breathed 
into  it,  his  life  has  been  impressed  upon  it.  Centuries 
could  not  efface  the  mark.  They  will,  let  us  trust,  only 
develop  it  in  its  true  character,  and  above  all,  in  that 
spirit  of  true  faith  which  was  the  distinguishing  trait  of 
his  life." 

Archbishop  Kenrick's  death  occurred  during  the  night 
of  July  6,  1863.  He  was  interred  with  all  the  solem- 
nities of  the  Church,  and  with  every  mark  of  veneration 
and  love  from  prelates,  priests,  and  laity,  July  u  ;  the 
Archbishops  of  New  York  and  Cincinnati,  and  the  Bishops 
of  Wheeling,  Philadelphia,  Pittsburgh,  Erie,  Louisville, 


Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  D.D.    517 

Covington,  Brooklyn,  and  Buffalo,  assisted  at  the  im- 
pressive service  ;  his  remains  rest  with  those  of  his  good 
and  great  predecessors  in  the  Archiepiscopal  See  of 
Baltimore.  His  epitaph  is  a  beautiful,  true,  and  classic 
epitome  of  his  life  and  character : — 

MAXIMA  PIETATE  ET  DOCTRINA,  NECNON  PARI  MODESTIA 
ET  PAUPERTATE,  ARCHIEPISCOPALEM  CATHEDRAM  EXORNA- 


RIGHT    REV.    LEO    RAYMOND    DE    NECK- 
ERE,  D.D., 

Third  Bishop  of  New  Orleans,  A.D.  1830.* 

BISHOP  DE  NECKERE  was  born  in  Wevelgham,  a  vil- 
lage in  West  Flanders,  Belgium,  June  6,  1800.  His  pa- 
rents were  pious  Catholics,  who  bestowed  every  atten- 
tion on  the  religious  and  secular  education  of  their  son. 
From  his  tenderest  years  he  manifested  an  inclination  to 
piety,  and  scarcely  was  he  able  to  express  himself  and 
to  read,  when  he  exhibited  a  decided  inclination  to  the 
religious  state.  He  took  the  greatest  delight  in  hearing 
and  reading  of  religious  subjects  and  persons,  particu- 
larly the  life  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  and  the  accounts  of 
the  foreign  missions.  He  pursued  his  classical  and  philo- 
sophical course  of  studies  in  the  College  of  Roulers, 
West  Flanders,  and  at  the  Seminary  of  Ghent,  East 
Flanders,  and  graduated  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  His 
vocation  for  a  missionary  life  was  proved  on  the  occasion 
of  the  visit  of  Bishop  Dubourg,  of  Louisiana,  to  France, 
in  search  of  recruits  for  his  diocese.  Young  De  Neck- 
ere,  then  a  seminarian  of  the  Lazarists,  was  one  of  the 
first  volunteers  for  this  distant  mission,  and  formed  one 
of  the  colony  selected  and  sent  to  Louisiana  by  their  su- 
perior, Father  Beccaria,  in  1817,  being  then  seventeen 
years  old.  He  traveled  through  France  with  Bishop  Du- 
bourg, and  embarked  with  him  from  Bordeaux,  in  Sep- 

*  Authorities:   Catholic  Miscellany ;   Catholic  Diary  ;  Life  of  Bishop  Flagel.  by 
Archbishop  Spalding ;  and  original  sources. 


Right  Rev.  Leo  Raymond  De  Neckere,  D.D.     519 

tember,  1817.  After  partaking,  with  his  companions,  of 
the  hospitality  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrolton,  at  An- 
napolis, for  about  two  months,  he  proceeded  with  them, 
under  the  care  of  Bishop  Dubourg,  to  the  West,  and  re- 
mained for  more  than  a  year  at  the  Seminary  of  Bards- 
town,  Kentucky,  pursuing  his  ecclesiastical  studies.  He 
rejoined  the  Lazarists  at  the  Barrens,  near  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  in  1820,  and  his  career  as  a  seminarian  there 
was  chronicled  as  that  of  one  who,  "  although  very 
young,  was  remarkable  for  his  uncommon  talents  and 
piety."  Such  was  his  maturity  in  piety  and  learning, 
that  he  was  ordained  before  the  canonical  age,  October 
13,  1822,  being  then  in  his  twenty-third  year.  His  first 
duties  were  as  missionary  in  and  near  the  Barrens,  and 
as  a  professor  in  the  Seminary.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
five  x  and  twenty-six,  an  age  when  most  priests  are  or- 
dained, he  was  called  upon  to  act  as  Superior  of  the  im- 
portant establishment  of  the  Barrens,  during  the  fre- 
quent absences  of  Bishop  Rosati  from  the  Seminary. 
The  members  of  the  community  were  composed  of 
Italians,  French,  Germans,  Belgians,  Americans,  and 
Irish  ;  and  young  Father  De  Neckere  gave  conferences 
in  the  domestic  chapel  of  the  Seminary  in  the  languages 
of  all  those  nations,  except  the  Irish,  and  spoke  them  all 
well.  Gifted  with  extraordinary  talents,  his  attainments 
in  theology,  science,  and  general  learning  were  most  re- 
markable. But  in  humility,  zeal,  and  piety,  he  excelled 
even  more  than  in  learning.  The  missions  of  Missouri 
were  no  less  the  field  of  his  labors  than  the  halls  of  the 
Seminary.  His  labors  were  too  great  for  his  delicate 
health,  and  he  was  sent  to  New  Orleans  to  recruit  his 
strength.  There  the  Cathedral  and  other  temples  re- 
sounded with  his  eloquence,  as  those  of  St.  Louis  and 


520  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

other  cities,  and  the  seminaries  and  colleges  of  the  West 
had  often  done  before.  Returning  to  the  Barrens,  after 
a  considerable  stay  at  New  Orleans,  he  resumed  his  la- 
borious life  both  as  professor  and  missionary.  It  was 
said  of  him  by  his  cotemporaries  that,  though  a  Fleming 
by  birth,  he  was  an  American  in  education,  in  feelings, 
and  in  tastes.  His  great  worth  and  remarkable  capacity 
for  doing  good,  were  united  with  one  of  the  most  mod- 
est, retiring,  and  shrinking  of  natures.  The  gifted  and 
discerning  Bishop  Rosati  entertained  for  him  the 
greatest  esteem,  and  it  was  remarked  of  him  that  the 
general  respect  and  admiration,  in  which  he  was  held, 
were  always  accompanied-by  an  equal  amount  of  love  for 
his  amiable  and  childlike  disposition. 

His  health,  naturally  delicate,  began  to  fail  again,  and 
several  severe  hemorrhages  from  the  lungs  admonished 
him  to  seek  rest  and  a  change  of  air.  For  this  purpose 
he  paid  a  visit  to  his  native  country,  where  he  arrived 
March  22,  1827.  He  also  made  a  short  stay  at  the 
Lazarist  Seminary,  at  Amiens,  France.  While  there  he 
was  summoned  to  Rome,  and,  though  in  a  precarious 
condition  of  health,  he  started  for  the  Eternal  City,  Oc- 
tober 1 6,  1828.  To  his  astonishment  and  grief,  he 
found  that  Bishop  Rosati  had  nominated  him  to  the  va- 
cant see  of  New  Orleans,  and  had  selected  him  above  all 
as  the  most  worthy  successor  of  Bishop  Dubourg.  He 
was,  against  his  own  most  earnest  prayers,  preconized 
for  that  See  by  the  Holy  Father,  August  4,  1829.  He 
returned  to  Belgium,  but  his  feeble  health  was  more 
than  ever  affected  by  the  fear  of  his  appointment  to  the 
See  of  New  Orleans.  His  mental  anxiety  brought  on  a 
fearful  relapse,  while  accepting  the  hospitalities  of  the 
noble  castle  of  Madame  de  Ghyseghen,  and  he  was 


Right  Rev.  Leo  Raymond  De  Neckere,  D.D.     521 

there  brought  to  the  verge  of  the  grave.  That  truly 
Catholic  lady  had  two  daughters,  both  of  whom 
were  remarkable  for  their  piety  and  heroic  devotion ;  the 
elder  of  these,  when  she  heard  that  Father  De  Neckere 
had  been  preconized  for  the  episcopal  office  in  America, 
and  saw  the  extreme  danger  in  which  he  was  of  a 
speedy  death,  went  privately  to  the  chapel  of  the  castle, 
and,  prostrate  before  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  presented 
her  petition  before  her  Lord,  that  He  would  spare  the 
life  of  the  Bishop  and  accept  her  own  as  a  substitute. 
Father  De  Neckere  recovered  and  returned  to  America 
to  receive  episcopal  consecration,  and  the  young  lady's 
sacrifice  was  accepted  in  heaven,  whither  she  was  soon 
afterwards  called  by  a  saintly  death. 

Dr.  De  Neckere  returned  to  America  in  greatly  im- 
proved health.  The  Pontifical  rescript  of  August  4,  1829, 
appointing  him  Bishop  of  New  Orleans,  was  received  by 
Bishop  Rosati;  Dr.  De  Neckere  insisted  on  declining 
the  appointment,  and  scarcely  could  he  bring  his  mind 
to  yield  to  the  urgent  advice  of  the  most  eminent  eccle- 
siastics, including  Bishop  Rosati,  when  he  was  compelled 
by  strict  injunction  from  Rome  to  accept.  He  was  only 
twenty-nine  years  old  when  appointed  Bishop,  but  he 
was  of  ripe  judgment  and  experience,  and  possessed 
uncommon  ability  and  learning.  In  announcing  the  ap- 
pointment of  their  new  Bishop  to  the  people  of  Louis- 
iana in  a  Pastoral,  Bishop  Rosati  said:  "  His  merit  could 
not  be  hidden  by  the  veil  under  which  his  modesty 
sought  to  conceal  it,  nor  could  his  profound  humility 
prevent  those,  who  had  the  happiness  of  knowing  him, 
from  feeling  and  testifying  their  esteem  and  respect. 
They  all  unite  in  thanking  the  Prince  of  Pastors  for 
having  given  so  worthy  a  Prelate  to  His  Church. 


522  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

The  zeal,  the  piety,  the  knowledge,  and  the  prudence  of 
your  new  Bishop  give  the  strongest  hope  that  the  work 
of  God  will  prosper  in  his  hands,  and  that  the  germs 
which  have  been  fostered  by  the  incessant  cares  of  our 
worthy  predecessor,  the  founder  of  our  missions,  will 
now  produce  fruits  an  hundred  fold." 

Bishop  De  Neckere's  consecration  was  appointed  to 
take  place  on  Sunday,  May  16,  1830,  at  the  Cathedral 
in  New  Orleans,  and  in  the  meantime  he  decided  to  con- 
tinue his  residence  at  the  Barrens,  in  profound  retreat 
and  preparation  for  his  high  office.  At  the  appointed 
time  he  started  in  company  with  Bishop  Rosati  for  New 
Orleans  to  be  consecrated ;  but  a  severe  attack  of  fever 
compelled  him  to  stop  at  St.  Genevieve.  Here  he  was 
again  taken  with  hemorrhages  from  an  aneurism  in  the 
throat,  and  his  fever  became  much  worse.  His  already 
impaired  health  was  greatly  affected  by  these  attacks. 
Bishop  Rosati  continued  his  journey  to  New  Orleans, 
where  he  hoped  soon  to  be  joined  by  the  Bishop  elect, 
and  where  he  was  met  by  Bishops  England  and  Portier, 
and  a  large  number  of  priests,  who  had  come  to  the  city, 
to  witness  the  consecration.  On  the  appointed  Sunday 
an  immense  concourse  assembled  at  the  Cathedral,  and 
were  greatly  disappointed  at  not  seeing  their  new 
Bishop,  to  whom  they  were  already  greatly  attached, 
and  of  whom  no  tidings  had  yet  been  received.  Bishop 
De  Neckere's  health  was  somewhat  restored  in  a  month, 
and  on  June  24,  1830,  he  was  consecrated  by  Bishop 
Rosati  at  the  Cathedral  of  New  Orleans,  assisted  by 
Bishops  England  and  Portier.  Bishop  England  preached 
the  consecration  sermon.  His  episcopate  lasted  only 
three  years,  and  we  know  but  little  of  the  details  of  his 
labors  during  that  time,  beyond  the  assurance  that  he 


Right  Rev.  Leo  Raymond  De  Neckere,  D.D.     523 

"admirably  governed  his  diocese,"  and  some  cotempo- 
raneous  accounts  of  his  eloquent  sermons  in  the  churches 
of  New  Orleans,  where  the  people  were  delighted  to  lis- 
ten to  his  familiar  voice,  and  were  greatly  moved  by  his 
stirring  words,  and  edified  by  his  saintly  life.  Amongst 
the  last  of  his  noble  acts  was  the  presentation  of  a  splen- 
did organ  to  St.  Mary's  Church,  New  Orleans,  which 
had  been  built  by  Mr.  Erben,  of  New  York,  on  his  or- 
der; but  he  did  not  live  to  hear  its  melodious  notes. 

In  1831  Bishop  De  Neckere  called  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Blanc  to  New  Orleans,  and  appointed  him  Vicar-Gen- 
eral, together  with  the  venerable  Mr.  Richard.  The 
feeble  health  of  the  Bishop,  and  his  humility  of  life,  made 
him  anxious  to  be  relieved  of  the  burden  of  the  episco- 
pate. He  accordingly  made  earnest  application  to  Rome 
for  leave  to  resign.  Archbishop  Spalding  relates,  in  his 
Life  of  Bishop  Flaget,  that,  "Bishop  De  Neckere  wrote 
to  our  holy  Prelate  (Bishop  Flaget)  to  engage  his  in- 
terest at  Rome  towards  obtaining  the  acceptance  of  his 
resignation.  Bishop  Flaget  answered  in  a  strain  of 
pleasant  raillery,  gently  twitting  his  young  colleague  on 
the  necessity  of  his  retiring  from  the  cares  of  the  episco- 
pacy after  having  borne  the  burden  for  the  great  space 
of  nearly  three  years !  The  timid  but  holy  Bishop  of 
New  Orleans  received  in  good  part  this  rebuke,  so  po- 
litely and  so  elegantly  administered."  The  Holy  See, 
on  account  of  his  infirm  health,  acceded  so  far  to  his 
request  as  to  appoint  Bishop  Blanc  his  coadjutor;  but 
the  latter  would  not  accept  this  office  as  long  as  Bishop 
De  Neckere  insisted  on  resigning,  and  returned  the 
bulls  of  his  appointment  to  Rome.  Finding  that  he 
could  not  induce  his  colleagues  to  sanction  his  resigna- 
tion, he  acquiesced  in  their  views,  abandoned  all  purpose. 


524  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

of  resigning,  and  henceforth  devoted  himself  without  re- 
serve to  the  service  of  his  flock,  as  their  chief  pastor,  as 
their  father  and  servant.  Thus,  when  the  yellow  fever 
scourged  New  Orleans  in  1833,  he  was  spending  the 
season  at  St.  Michel's ;  against  all  remonstrance  he  re- 
turned to  the  city,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  spiritual 
and  temporal  wants  of  the  sick  and  dying,  until  he  him- 
self was  stricken  down  by  the  pestilence,  and  within  ten 
days  fell  a  victim  to  his  unbounded  charity. 

"He  died,"  writes  Archbishop  Spalding,  "the  death 
of  a  saint,  September  4,  1833."*  "He  still  lives,"  said 
Bishop  Portier,  "in  our  recollection  and  our  admiration. 
His  mortal  remains  are  deposited  beneath  this  sanc- 
tuary." f  "He  was  a  man,"  said  the  New  Orleans  Bee, 
"  of  extended  theoretical  and  practical  knowledge,  Chris- 
tian philosophy,  and  an  ornament  to  the  religion  he 
taught."  "He  was  endowed  with  talents  of  the  highest 
order,"  said  the  New  Orleans  Courier,  "and  was  pos- 
sessed of  those  necessary  qualifications  which  enabled 
him  to  fill,  with  credit  to  himself  and  honor  to  the 
Church,  the  high  station  he  enjoyed.  He  will  be  long 
remembered  and  regretted  by  the  citizens  of  this  State." 

*  Lift  of  Bishop  Flagtt. 

f  Sermon  at  the  consecration  of  Archbishop  Blanc,  in  the  Church  of  St.  Louis, 
at  New  Orleans. 


MOST  REV.  SAMUEL  ECCLESTON,  D.D., 

Fifth  Archbishop  of  Baltimore,  A.D.  1834.* 

THE  ancestors  of  Samuel  Eccleston  were  English; 
his  grandfather,  Sir  John  Eccleston,  came  to  this  country 
from  England  and  settled  in  Maryland,  a  few  years  be- 
fore the  American  Revolution.  The  subject  of  this  me- 
moir was  born  in  Kent  County,  on  the  eastern  shore  of 
Maryland,  June  27,  1801.  His  parents  were  members 
of  the  Episcopal  church,  and  their  son  Samuel  was  edu- 
cated in,  and  during  his  earlier  years  adhered  to,  that  de- 
nomination. His  father  died  when  he  was  quite  young, 
and  after  some  years  his  mother  became  married  to  a 
Catholic  gentleman  of  Maryland,  and  young  Eccleston, 
at  home  and  at  college,  became  surrounded  by  Catho- 
lic examples,  which,  together  with  the  grace  of  God  oper 
ating  in  his  soul,  led  him  to  see  the  light  of  true  faith 
and  to  embrace  it.  He  became  a  student  at  St.  Mary's 
College,  Baltimore,  and  was  distinguished  there  among 
his  fellow  students  no  less  for  his  amiable,  gentlemanly, 
and  honorable  deportment,  than  for  his  proficiency  in  his 
studies  and  his  progress  in  piety.  By  his  success  in 
study,  and  by  his  endearing  qualities  of  heart  and  soul, 
he  became  beloved  by  both  teachers  and  scholars,  and 
he  was  regarded  as  a  shining  and  distinguished  light 
among  the  alumni  of  his  Alma  Mater.  It  was  at  St. 
Mary's  that  he  abjured  the  religious  errors  of  his  educa- 
tion and  became  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church.  It 

*  Authorities:   Catholic  Almanac,  1852;  De  Courcy  and  Shea's  Catholic  Church 
in  the  United  States  ;  Catholic  Magazines,  etc.,  etc. 


526  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

was  here  too  that  he  witnessed  a  Catholic  death,  that  of 
a  beloved  professor,  attended  with  so  much  resignation, 
heroic  courage,  and  humble  submission,  that  his  soul, 
naturally  inclined  to  good,  became  more  deeply  im- 
pressed with  religious  sentiments  and  views  of  life. 
These  ripened  into  the  purpose  of  embracing  the  eccle- 
siastical state.  He  entered  the  Seminary  connected 
with  the  College,  May  23,  1819.  His  friends  and  rela- 
tives were  greatly  opposed  to  the  course  he  adopted, 
and  used  every  influence  and  persuasion,  which  family 
ties,  the  pleasures  and  promised  honors  of  the  world, 
and  the  representation  of  the  Catholic  priesthood  in  a 
contemptuous  light,  could  present  to  his  considera- 
tion. The  young  Levite  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  these  sug- 
gestions of  the  evil  one,  and  listened  only  to  the  grace 
of  God.  His  determination  became  the  more  firmly 
fixed,  and,  persevering  in  his  noble  purpose,  he  received 
the  tonsure  in  the  course  of  the  year  1820.  In  the 
prosecution  of  his  theological  studies  he  was  exceedingly 
earnest  and  laborious,  and  distinguished  himself,  not 
jnly  as  a  student,  but  soon  afterwards  as  a  teacher  of 
theology,  and  as  a  warm  advocate  and  enforcer  of  eccle- 
siastical discipline.  His  well-balanced  and  gifted  intellect, 
united  with  ease  and  fluency  of  speech  and  grace  of 
manner,  made  him  distinguished  for  the  efficacy  and  suc- 
cess with  which  he  imparted  knowledge  to  others.  In 
the  course  of  1823,  he  received  the  different  degrees  of 
advancement  and  preparation  fo'r  the  priesthood,  and 
was  finally  ordained  April  24,  1825,  by  Archbishop 
Marechal.  A  few  months  after  his  ordination  he  re- 
paired to  France  to  enjoy  the  more  advanced  studies 
and  advantages  afforded  in  the  Sulpitian  Seminary  of 
Issy,  near  Paris.  Before  his  return  he  visited  Eng- 


Most  Rev.  Samuel  Eccleston,  D.D.  527 

land  and  Ireland,  thus  adding  the  advantages  of 
travel  and  observation  of  life  in  various  countries  to  his 
already  well-stored  mind.  Mr.  Eccleston  expressed  him- 
self as  highly  gratified  and  benefited  by  his  residence 
abroad,  and  while  he  brought  home  with  him  an  in- 
creased zeal  for  religion,  he  also  experienced  a  still 
warmer  attachment  for  his  native  country,  its  form  of 
government  and  institutions.  He  returned  to  the 
United  States  in  July,  1827,  and  was  appointed  Vice- 
President  of  St.  Mary's  College,  and  in  1829  was  ap- 
pointed its  President.  While  discharging  these  offices 
he  exerted  his  great  abilities  in  increasing  the  usefulness 
of  the  institution,  improving  its  course  of  studies,  enforc- 
ing a  wholesome  discipline,  and  imparting  a  flourishing 
and  prosperous  condition  to  it.  Under  his  Presidency 
St.  Mary's  College  made  rapid  advances  in  success  and 
popularity,  and  became  one  of  the  leading  Catholic  col- 
leges of  the  country. 

Archbishop  Whitfield's  health  becoming  infirm,  that 
Prelate  was  anxious  to  obtain  the  appointment  of  a  suit- 
able, younger,  and  more  vigorous  ecclesiastic  to  assist 
him  in  his  arduous  duties  and  succeed  him  on  his  death  ; 
the  matter  was  made  a  subject  of  consultation  by  the 
Archbishop  with  his  suffragan  Bishops,  and  all  concurred 
in  recommending  Mr.  Eccleston,  then  President  of  St. 
Mary's  College,  for  nomination  to  this  position.  Such 
were  his  attainments  of  mind,  his  development  of  judg- 
ment and  character,  his  enlightened  zeal  for  religion 
and  capacity  for  administration,  that  he  was  chosen 
for  this  important  and  responsible  office  at  the  early  age 
of  thirty-three  years,  and  in  the  summer  of  1834  the  Pa- 
pal Brief  appointing  Dr.  Eccleston  Coadjutor  of  Balti- 
more, with  the  title  of  Bishop  of  Thermia  in  partibus, 


528  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

with  the  right  of  succession,  was  received  by  the  Arch- 
bishop. The  venerable  Prelate  consecrated  his  succes- 
sor at  the  Cathedral  of  Baltimore,  September  14  of  the 
same  year,  and  on  his  decease,  on  the  nineteenth  of  Octo- 
ber following,  Dr.  Eccleston  succeeded  to  the  Archiepis- 
copal  chair  of  Baltimore.  In  1834  Archbishop  Eccles- 
ton received  from  Rome  the  Pallium,  and  with  it  the 
plenitude  of  the  powers  and  honors  of  the  Metropolitan 
See.  Like  his  predecessors,  he  also  assumed  the  office 
and  duties  of  administrator  of  the  diocese  of  Richmond, 
and  continued  to  discharge  this  latter  office  until  1841, 
when  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  Whelan  was  appointed  to 
that  See. 

Archbishop  Eccleston,  on  assuming  the  chair  of  Balti- 
more, made  a  general  survey  and  examination  of  his  dio- 
cese, in  which  the  church,  under  his  worthy  predecessors, 
had  advanced  to  a  high  degree  of  development  and 
prosperity,  and  presented  at  once  a  flourishing  and  yet 
laborious  field  of  zeal  and  improvement.  While  possess- 
ing an  efficient  and  zealous  body  of  clergy,  ecclesiastical 
se'rninaries,  various  religious  institutions,  and  numerous 
male  and  female  houses  of  education,  the  Catholic  popu- 
lation had  so  vastly  increased,  and  the  wants  and  inte- 
rests of  the  church  so  multiplied,  that  he  found  an  im- 
mense work  before  him  in  maintaining  and  developing 
what  his  predecessors  had  established,  and  in  creating 
and  providing  for  the  new  wants  and  demands  which 
religion  presented  to  him  at  every  turn.  To  provide  ad- 
ditional schools  for  the  Catholic  youth  of  the  diocese 
was  one  of  his  first  cares,  and  to  accomplish  this  great 
end  he  gave  a  paternal  and  liberal  encouragement  to  the 
various  religious  orders  within  his  jurisdiction,  and  took 
energetic  steps  for  the  introduction  of  others  to  meet 


Most  Rev.  Samuel  Eccleston,  D.D.  529 

new  and  increasing  necessities.  Three  additional  insti- 
tutions for  the  education  of  females  were  established 
under  his  fostering  care  by  the  Sisters  of  the  Visitation, 
whose  headquarters  were  at  Georgetown,  to  wit :  at 
Baltimore,  Frederick,  and  Washington.  The  Brothers 
of  St.  Patrick  were  also  introduced  into  the  diocese  in 
1846,  at  the  request  of  Rev.  James  Dolan,  Pastor  of  St. 
Patrick's,  to  take  charge  of  the  Manual  Labor  School 
founded  near  Baltimore  by  that  zealous  priest. 

The  large  increase  of  the  German  Catholic  population 
of  the  United  States,  who  were  tenacious  of  their  lan- 
guage and  native  customs  long  after  their  arrival  in  this 
country,  presented  to  the  Prelates  of  various  dioceses 
great  difficulties  in  providing  suitable  pastors  for  them. 
To  meet  this  necessity  Archbishop  Eccleston  entered 
into  negotiations  for  the  introduction  of  the  priests  of 
the  Most  Holy  Redeemer,  commonly  known  as  Redemp- 
torists,  into  the  United  States.  The  first  of  this  useful 
and  zealous  Order  came  to  Baltimore  in  1841,  from  Aus- 
tria. In  thirty  years  they  have  erected  churches,  con- 
vents, and  schools  in  most  of  the  dioceses  in  the  United 
States,  and  are  among  the  most  numerous,  zealous,  and 
laborious  workers  in  this  vast  spiritual  vineyard.  In  Bal- 
timore, where  the  Provincial  of  the  Order  resides,  the 
beautiful  and  brilliant  Church  of  St!  Alphonsus  is  a  mon- 
ument of  their  zeal  and  energy.  At  Annapolis  their 
novitiate  was  established  in  a  venerable  old  mansion, 
once  the  residence  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  and 
presented  for  the  purpose  by  the  grand-daughters  of 
that  illustrious  man.  But  the  Redemptorist  Fathers 
have  since  erected  on  the  same  property  a  large  and 
handsome  church,  novitiate,  and  convent,  by  their  own 
efforts  and  labors. 
34 


530  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

Archbishop  Eccleston  also  invited  to  the  diocese  of 
Baltimore  the  Congregation  of  the  Priests  of  the  Mis- 
sion, or  Lazarists,  who  arrived  there  in  1850,  and  were 
appointed  the  spiritual  directors  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity 
at  Emmittsburg. 

During  his  administration  new  churches  were  erected 
in  many  parts  of  the  diocese.  In  Baltimore,  the  new 
churches  of  St.  Alphonsus,  St.  Vincent's,  St.  Joseph's, 
St.  Peter's,  St.  Michael's,  Church  of  the  Lazarists,  and 
an  enlargement  of  St.  Patrick's,  were  erected ;  and  new 
churches  were  also  erected  at  Cumberland,  Laurel, 
Pikesville,  Elkridge,  Ellicott's  Mills,  Govanstown,  Havre 
de  Grace,  and  in  other  places.  Mt.  Hope  Hospital,  for 
the  insane  and  infirm,  under  the  charge  of  the  Sisters  of 
Charity,  is  also  one  of  the  ornaments  of  the  diocese  of 
Baltimore,  erected  under  the  fostering  care  of  Archbishop 
Eccleston.  The  Young  Catholic's  Friend  Society,  an 
association  of  laymen  for  the  relief  of  the  poor,  the  en- 
couragement of  education  among  them,  and  for  the 
assistance  of  Cathojic  free  schools,  is  another  excellent 
institution  that  was  introduced  under  his  approbation 
and  encouragement. 

One  of  the  distinguished  events  of  Archbishop  Ec- 
cleston's  administration  was  the  establishment  of  St. 
Charles'  College,  near  Ellicott's  Mills,  for  the  education 
of  young  men  preparatory  to  their  studies  for  the  holy 
ministry.  This  noble  institution  owed  its  origin  to  the 
munificence  of  the  venerable  Charles  Carroll  of  Carroll- 
ton,  and  was  brought  to  completion  and  dedicated  to  its 
holy  purpose  by  Archbishop  Eccleston.  His  circular  on 
this  subject,  to  the  clergy  and  laity  of  his  diocese,  in 
1848,  shows  how  much  he  devoted  himself  to  this  great 
work,  and  it  is  gratifying  to  relate  that  the  measures 


Most  Rev.  Samuel  Eccleston,  D.D.  531 

therein  recommended  have  been  observed  to  the  present 
day,  and  have  resulted  in  providing  ample  means  for 
continuing  the  usefulness  and  success  of  St.  Charles' 
College.  The  following  extract  is  from  his  circular:— 
"Venerable  and  Beloved  Brethren — Many  of  you  are 
aware  that  for  several  years  it  has  been  the  object  of  my 
most  earnest  desires  to  open  St.  Charles'  College  for  the 
preparatory  education  of  youths  destined  to  the  eccle- 
siastical state.  I  am  happy  at  length  to  announce  to 
you,  that  the  obstacles  which  have  retarded  this  aus- 
picious consummation  have  been  removed.  The  debt 
due  on  the  buildings  has  been  liquidated,  and,  through 
the  blessing  of  Providence,  the  institution  will,  on  the 
first  day  of  November,  be  ready  for  the  reception  of  pu- 
pils, under  the  charge  of  reverend  gentlemen  whose 
piety,  zeal,  and  acquirements  are  a  guaranty  of  its  sta- 
bility and  successful  operation. 

"  While  the  Church  is  happily  extending  her  bound- 
aries, the  number  of  laborers  does  not  increase  in  pro- 
portion to  the  harvest  which  is  spreading  and  thickening 
around  them.  In  this  diocese,  as  elsewhere,  numerous 
congregations  are  either  entirely  destitute  of  pastors,  or 
are  visited  at  distant  and  uncertain  intervals.  Not  only 
are  we  deprived  of  the  means  of  enlightening  the  thou- 
sands who  know  not,  and  therefore  blaspheme  the  spot- 
less name  of  Christ;  but  we  have  not  unfrequently  from 
the  same  cause  to  deplore  the  lukewarmness  or  prevari- 
cation of  the  children  of  the  faith.  In  fact,  were  it  not 
for  the  co-operation  of  devoted  clergymen  from  foreign 
lands,  still  more  lamentable  would  be  the  condition  of 
our  mission.  But  even  from  that  source  we  cannot  ex- 
pect long  to  fill  up  the  ranks  of  the  holy  ministry.  The 
experience  of  all  ages  and  Christian  countries  proves 


532  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

that  a  National  Church  must  seek  within  its  own  bosom 
the  resources  of  its  own  fecundity  and  prosperity.  The 
Divine  Author  of  our  holy  religion  fails  not  to  provide 
fit  and  abundant  instruments  for  its  preservation  and 
propagation.  Youth  are  not  wanting,  who,  at  an  early 
period,  feel  themselves  called  to  the  holy  ministry.  But 
we  have  not  provided  adequate  means  to  foster  and 
shelter  their  pious  yearnings.  The  continued  contact 
with  those  of  their  own  age,  but  actuated  by  different 
views  and  sentiments,  if  not  professing  a  different  re- 
ligion, has,  in  our  best  colleges,  proved  but  too  generally 
fatal  to  most  unequivocal  vocations.  St.  Charles'  Col- 
lege is  intended  to  supply  this  vital  and  primary  want  of 
our  American  Church." 

The  administration  of  Archbishop  Eccleston  was  dis 
tinguished  by  the  five  Provincial  Councils  of  Baltimore, 
called  and  presided  over  by  him.  The  fraternal  good- 
will with  which  he  received  his  colleagues  from  the  va- 
rious dioceses  of  the  country,  the  unbounded  hospitality 
with  which  he  entertained  and  provided  for  them  and 
their  attendants,  the  dignity,  wisdom,  and  urbanity  with 
which  he  presided  over  and  led  their  deliberations,  so 
impressed  the  distinguished  members  of  these  illustrious 
assemblies,  that  on  the  occasion  of  one  of  them,  the 
Sixth  Council,  they  paid  him  the  tribute  expressed  in 
the  following  correspondence  :— 

"To  the  Most  Rev.  SAMUEL  ECCLESTON,  Archbishop  of  Baltimore. 

"  MOST  REV.  ARCHBISHOP — The  Bishops  of  the  Sixth 
Council  of  Baltimore,  at  the  close  of  their  proceedings, 
when  you  had  withdrawn  from  the  Council-chamber, 
unanimously  resolved  to  present  you  with  a  cross  and 
the  vases  and  ornaments  belonging  to  an  archiepiscopal 


Most  Rev.  Samuel  Eccleston,  D.D.  533 

'capelle,'  as  a  token  of  their  veneration  and  attachment. 
The  courtesy,  dignity,  and  kindness  which  have  marked 
your  intercourse  with  your  colleagues,  the  wisdom  and 
moderation  with  which  you  have  presided  over  their  de- 
liberations, and  the  unbounded  hospitality  which  you 
have  exercised  towards  them,  demanded  some  expres- 
sion of  their  admiration  and  gratitude.  On  me  has 
devolved  the  pleasing  duty  of  presenting  these  sacred 
ornaments  in  the  name  of  all. 

"  With  sentiments  of  profound  veneration,  I  have  the 
honor  to  be,  Most  Rev.  Archbishop, 

"  Your  devoted  Brother  in  Christ, 
"•fr  FRANCIS  PATRICK, 

"Bishop  of  Philadelphia. 
"Philadelphia,  October  23d,  1846." 

To  which  the  Archbishop  replied  as  follows  : — 

"  Baltimore,  November  4th,  1846. 

"  Right  Rev.  and  Dear  Sir : — I  have  the  honor  to  ac- 
knowledge the  receipt  of  your  letter,  accompanying  the 
vases  and  ornarnents  belonging  to  an  archiepiscopal 
'  capelle,'  presented  to  me  by  the  Bishops  of  the  Sixth 
Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore,  as  a  token  of  their  vene- 
ration and  attachment. 

"  When  I  was,  at  the  close  of  the  Council,  assured 
that  I  had  met  the  approval  of  my  Right  Rev.  breth- 
ren in  our  official  and  personal  intercourse,  I  felt  myself 
rewarded  and  honored  beyond  my  merits.  Nor  did  I 
dream  of  any  other  token  of  their  indulgent  regard  until 
my  eyes  reposed  on  the  magnificent  and  costly  orna- 
ments presented  and  inscribed  to  me  in  their  names. 
Whether  I  consider  the  splendor  of  the  gift  itself,  or  the 
venerable  and  elevated  source  from  which  it  emanates, 


534  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

or  the  delicacy  of  the  manner  in  which  it  has  been  ten 
dered,  I  am  at  a  loss  for  language  to  express  my  deep 
and  humble  acknowledgments. 

"  While  I  cordially  offer  you  my  thanks  for  the  kind 
terms  in  which  you  have  made  known  to  me  the  senti- 
ments and  munificence  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Council,  I 
pray  you  to  convey  to  them,  in  the  way  you  think  best, 
this  expression  of  my  most  profound  gratitude. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Right  Rev.  and  dear  sir, 
with  the  greatest  respect  and  attachment, 

"  Your  Brother  in  Christ, 
"  »i*  SAMUEL,  Archbishop  of  Baltimore. 
"  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Kenrick,  Bishop  of  Philadelphia." 

In  the  Third  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore,  which 
commenced  its  session  April  16,  1837,  eight  Bishops, 
with  their  attendant  theologians,  assembled  at  the  call 
of  the  Metropolitan.  Their  deliberations  chiefly  related 
to  the  erection  of  new  episcopal  sees,  and  the  division  of 
established  sees  into  two  or  more.  The  details  of  their 
deliberations,  after  the  approval  of  the  Holy  See,  were 
carried  out  in  the  erection  of  new  sees  at  Nashville, 
Natchez,  and  Dubuque,  and  the  appointment  of  Bishops 
for  the  new  dioceses. 

The  Fourth  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore  assem- 
bled May  17,  1840,  and  was  attended  by  thirteen  Bish- 
ops, including  Monseigneur  De  Forbin  Janson,  Bishop 
of  Nancy,  France,*  who  was  unanimously  invited  by 
the  assembled  Prelates  to  take  part  in  their  deliberations, 
a  grateful  and  merited  tribute  to  his  services  and  zeal  for 
the  Church  of  America,  and  a  fitting  mark  of  sympathy 
for  a  Prelate  who,  prevented  by  political  intrigue  from 

*  See  his  Life  in  Appendix,  Vol.  II. 


Most  Rev.  Samuel  Eccleston,  D.D.  535 

discharging  the  high  functions  of  his  office  in  his  diocese 
in  France,  was  then  an  exile  in  our  country.  They  also 
"addressed  a  warm  letter  of  felicitation  and  encour- 
agement to  Claude  Augustus  De  Droste  de  Vischering. 
Bishop  of  Cologne,  and  to  Martin  De  Dunnin,  Arch- 
bishop of  Posen,  thus  showing  that  the  heart  of  the 
Church  everywhere  throbs  with  the  same  life,  and  that 
the  trials  of  religion  in  Europe  are  felt  even  in  the  New 
World."*  The  most  important  decrees  of  this  Council 
related  to  the  encouragement  of  temperance  societies 
among  the  Catholic  population  of  the  United  States; 
the  severance  from  the  diocese  of  Baltimore  of  that  of 
Richmond,  of  which  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Whelan  was 
then  appointed  Bishop  by  the  Holy  See;  and  to  the 
mode  of  holding,  preserving,  and  transmitting  church 
property  in  the  United  States. 

The  Fifth  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore  met  May 
14,  1843,  and  was  attended  by  sixteen  Bishops.  The 
principal  business  transacted  in  this  Council  related  to 
the  imposition  of  the  penalty  of  excommunication  ipso 
facto  against  such  Catholics  as  should  obtain  a  civil  di- 
vorce and  contract  a  second  marriage ;  and  to  the  erec- 
tion of  new  sees  and  the  subdivision  of  old  ones.  In 
approval  of  the  recommendations  of  the  Council,  the 
Holy  See,  by  letters  dated  September  13,  1843,  ap- 
pointed Right  Rev.  Andrew  Byrne  Bishop  of  the  new 
see  of  Little  Rock  ;  Right  Rev.  William  Quarter  Bishop 
of  the  new  see  of  Chicago ;  Right  Rev.  William  Tyler 
Bishop  of  the  new  see  of  Hartford ;  and  Right  Rev. 
John  M.  Henni  Bishop  of  the  new  see  of  Milwaukie. 
The  Right  Rev.  Ignatius  Aloysius  Reynolds  was  at  the 

*  De  Courcy  and  Shea's  Catholic  Church  in  tht  United  Statt*. 


536  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

same  time  appointed  successor  to  Bishop  England,  of 
Charleston ;  Right  Rev.  John  McCloskey,  now  Arch- 
bishop of  New  York,  was  appointed  Coadjutor  to  Arch- 
bishop Hughes  ;  and  Right  Rev.  John  B.  Fitzpatrick  was 
appointed  Coadjutor  to  Bishop  Fenwick,  of  Boston.  The 
new  see  of  Pittsburgh,  recommended  by  this  and  the 
preceding  Councils,  was  erected  subsequently,  and  Right 
Rev.  Michael  O'Connor  was  appointed  its  Bishop. 

The  Sixth  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore  was  con- 
vened May  10,  1846,  and  was  attended  by  twenty-three 
Bishops,  who,  among  their  first  acts,  and  with  an  unani- 
mous and  enthusiastic  voice,  selected  and  proclaimed 
the  "Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  Conceived  Without  Sin" 
as  the  patroness  of  the  United  States.  They  also  pro- 
vided for  carving  out  of  the  diocese  of  New  York  the 
dioceses  of  Buffalo  and  Albany,  and  out  of  that  of  Cin- 
cinnati the  diocese  of  Cleveland.  Rome,  in  approving 
these  provisions,  appointed  the  Right  Rev.  John  Timon 
Bishop  of  Buffalo,  Right  Rev.  John  McCloskey  Bishop 
of  Albany,  and  Right  Rev.  Amodeus  Rappe  Bishop  of 
Cleveland. 

In  November,  1846,  Archbishop  Eccleston  had  the 
happiness  of  welcoming  to  the  United  States,  and  to  his 
own  metropolitan  city,  that  excellent  and  invaluable 
body  of  Christian  teachers,  the  Brothers  of  the  Christian 
Schools,  whom  he  had  invited  to  his  diocese,  and  whose 
first  establishment  in  this  country  was  opened  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Archbishop  in  Calvert  Hall,  Baltimore. 
He  announced  this  auspicious  beginning  of  a  great  and 
good  work  in  the  following  circular  : — 

"ARCHDIOCESE  OF  BALTIMORE. — Circular  of  the  Most 
Rev.  Archbishop. — I  am  grateful  to  Divine  Providence 


Most  Rev.  Samuel  Eccleston,  D.D.  537 

to  be  enabled  to  inform  the  Rev.  clergy  and  the  laity  of 
the  archdiocese  that  the  'Brothers  of  the  Christian 
Schools'  have  extended  to  us  the  advantages  of  their 
holy  and  admirable  institution.  Their  first  novitiate  and 
school  have  been  opened  at  Calvert  Hall,  in  this  city, 
and  are,  I  trust,  but  the  precursors  of  many  others 
throughout  the  United  States. 

"I  cannot  too  earnestly  entreat  all  charitable  persons 
to  contribute  to  the  support  of  an  undertaking  so  emi- 
nently useful  to  religion  and  society.  The  faithful  will 
read  with  interest  the  communication  of  the  venerable 
brother  director.  *  *  * 

"•fr  SAMUEL,  Abp.  Bait 
"BALTIMORE,  Nov.  i3th,  1846." 

The  announcement  of  the  brother  director,  alluded  to 
by  the  Archbishop,  was  as  follows:  "The  novitiate  of 
the  'Brothers  of  the  Christian  Schools'  has  been  opened 
in  Baltimore.  The  object  contemplated  by  this  institute 
is  the  religious  and  literary  instruction  of  male  children, 
especially  the  poor.  The  Brothers  are  bound  by  the 
three  religious  vows  of  obedience,  chanty,  and  poverty, 
to  which  is  added  a  fourth,  that  of  the  gratuitous  instruc- 
tion of  the  poor.  The  terms  of  admittance  will  be  made 
known,  and  further  information  given,  on  application  to 

"BROTHER  LEOPOLD, 
"  Director  of  the  Brothers  in  Baltimore." 

The  subsequent  expansion  and  usefulness  of  the  ex- 
cellent Order  throughout  the  United  States  has  been 
wonderful,  and  should  awaken  our  gratitude,  not  only  to 
the  good  Brothers  of  the  Christian  Schools,  but  also 
our  grateful  remembrance  of  Archbishop  Eccleston. 


538  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

It  was  also  about  this  time  that  Pope  Pius  I>  ,  in 
compliance  with  a  request  of  Archbishop  Eccleston  a.nd 
of  his  colleagues  of  the  Sixth  Provincial  Council,  granted 
to  the  clergy  of  the  United  States  the  privilege  of  ad- 
ding the  words  "immaculate"  and  "immaculate  concep- 
tion" to  the  preface  of  the  Holy  Mass  on  the  8th  of 
December  and  other  days;  and  to  the  laity  of  the 
United  States  the  privilege  of  adding  to  the  Litany  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  the  invocation,  "  Queen,  con- 
ceived without  original  sin,  pray  for  us"  This  devout 
petition  of  the  American  Prelates  was  made  and  granted 
before  the  Holy  Father,  had  defined  the  dogma  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception. 

The  adjournment  of  the  Sixth  Council  was  soon  fol- 
lowed by  the  death  of  Pope  Gregory  XVI.  and  the  elec- 
tion of  Pope  Pius  IX.  The  remarkable  events  that 
ensued  are  a  part  of  the  history  of  our  age.  Loud, 
long,  and  enthusiastic  were  the  plaudits  that  greeted 
the  first  acts  of  the  noble  and  saintly  Pius  IX.  from 
every  portion  of  the  world,  and  especially  from  the 
United  States.  Popular  meetings  in  the  principal  cities 
sent  the  most  respectful  and  laudatory  addresses  to  the 
Holy  Father,  and  Congress  sent  a  minister  to  congratu- 
late him  on  his  course  and  to  reside  at  his  court.  It 
seemed  as  though  the  Protestant  world  were  prepared 
to  hail  the  return  of  the  glorious  ages  of  Faith,  when  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff  was  the  universally  recognized  Father 
and  arbiter  of  the  Christian  world.  The  loyalty  of 
Catholics  was  manifested  by  the  obedience  of  their  souls 
and  submission  of  their  hearts  to  him,  whom  they  recog- 
nized as  the  Vicar  of  Christ  on  earth.  To  their  Protes- 
tant fellow-citizens  was  left  the  work  of  giving  utterance 
to  the  public  voice  of  congratulation  a.id  praise.  The 


Most  Rev.  Samuel  Eccleston,  D.D.  539 

address  of  a  public  meeting  held  in  New  York  by  six 
thousand  persons,  and  presided  over  by  the  Mayor,  con- 
tained the  following  remarkable  passage  :— 

"  And  more  formidable  than  all  these,  you  must  have 
girded  yourself  to  encounter,  and  by  God's  help  to  over- 
come, that  fickleness  and  ingratitude  of  multitudes  just 
released  from  benumbing  bondage,  which  could  clamor  in 
the  wilderness  to  be  led  back  to  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt; 
which,  among  the  contemporaries,  and  even  the  fol- 
lowers of  our  Saviour,  could  leave  him  to  bear  in  soli- 
tude the  agony  of  the  cross ;  and  which  in  your  case, 
we  apprehend,  will  yet  manifest  itself  in  unreasona- 
ble expectations,  extravagant  hopes,  impetuous  require- 
ments, and  in  murmurings  that  nothing  has  been  ear- 
nestly intended,  because  everything  has  been  already 
accomplished." 

The  address  of  the  Philadelphia  meeting,  held  January 
10,  1848,  contained  the  following  earnest  words:  "May 
the  Almighty  grant  you  length  of  life,  strength  of  heart, 
and  wisdom  from  on  high,  in  order  to  bring  to  a  happy 
conclusion  the  beneficent  reforms  which  you  have  begun ! 
May  He  inspire  the  princes  and  people  of  Italy  with  the 
courage  and  moderation  necessary  to  second  your  ef- 
forts !  May  He  raise  up  to  you  successors  who  will  con- 
tinue to  extend  the  influence  of  peace  and  justice  on 
earth;  and  the  time  will  come  when  the  meanest  of 
God's  poor  will,  if  oppressed,  be  able  to  summon  the 
most  powerful  of  his  oppressors  to  appear  at  the  bar  of 
united  Christendom;  and  the  nations  will  sit  in  judgment 
upon  him,  and  the  oppressor,  blushing  with  shame,  shall 
be  forced  by  their  unanimous  and  indignant  voice  to 
render  justice  to  the  oppressed." 

Similar  addresses  were  sent  from  nearly  every  city  of 


54°  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

any  importance  in  the  Union  to  the  Holy  Father.  But 
soon  the  prophetic  language  of  the  New  York  meeting 
was  realized;  the  clamor  of  the  disappointed  populace 
was  raised  against  their  Father  and  best  friend ;  Count 
Rossi,  his  secretary,  is  assassinated,  and  the  Holy 
Father  himself  is  a  fugitive  from  Rome.  It  was  then 
that  the  devotion  of  Catholics  manifested  itself  towards 
the  Supreme  Pontiff,  and  many  and  heart-felt  were  the 
testimonials  of  loyalty  and  affection  received  by  the 
exile  of  Gaeta  from  his  children  throughout  the  world. 
The  Catholics  of  the  United  States  were  not  behind 
their  brethren  in  these  demonstrations,  and  the  hope 
was  entertained  that  the  Holy  Father  would  accept  an 
asylum  in  our  midst.  Archbishop  Eccleston  was  an  ap- 
propriate organ  to  express  these  sentiments,  as  he  did 
in  his  letter  to  Pius  IX.  of  the  eighteenth  of  January, 
1849,  the  Feast  of  the  Exaltation  of  the  Chair  of  St. 
Peter,  from  which  the  following  extract  will  be  read  with 
interest:  "Our  Seventh  Council  of  Baltimore  is  to  be 
held  on  the  6th  of  May  next.  We  are  perhaps  too  bold, 
Holy  Father,  in  asking  and  hoping  that,  if  possible,  the 
shadow  of  Peter  may  even  transiently  gladden  us,  and 
give  us  new  strength  and  courage.  How  great  an  honor 
and  support  to  our  rising  Church !  What  joy  and  fervor, 
what  fruits  and  pledges  of  communion  throughout  our 
whole  Republic,  if  your  Holiness,  yielding  to  our  unani- 
mous wishes,  would  but  stand  amid  the  Prelates  assem- 
bled from  the  most  remote  shores  of  North  America, 
and  deign  to  console  and  honor  us  and  our  flocks  with 
your  apostolic  advice  and  paternal  blessing!  The  Coun- 
cil might  easily,  if  your  Holiness  so  direct,  be  deferred 
to  a  more  convenient  time,  and  so  far  as  our  poverty 
permits,  nothing  shall  be  wanting  to  make  everything  a 


Most  Rev.   Samuel  Eccleston,  D.D.  541 

comfort  and  joy  to  our  Most  Holy  Father."  How  vividly 
do  the  present  wrongs  of  that  same  Holy  Father,  and  of 
that  same  Holy  Church,  recall  the  events  of  his  glorious 
pontificate  !  When,  Oh  when,  will  the  Catholic  peoples 
of  the  world  demand  of  their  governments  the  restora- 
tion of  the  Capital  of  Christendom,  and  the  liberty  of 
the  Vicar  of  Christ  ? 

The  Seventh  Council  convened  at  Baltimore  May  6, 
1849,  and  was  attended  by  twenty-five  Bishops.  The 
most  important  parts  of  their  proceedings  related  to  the 
belief  of  the  American  Church  in  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  to  which  the 
Bishops  of  the  Council  proclaimed  themselves  and  their 
flocks  ardently  devoted,  and  declared  they  would  hail 
with  lively  satisfaction  its  doctrinal  definition  by  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff,  as  an  article  of  faith ;  to  the  mani- 
festation of  sympathy  for  the  Holy  See,  in  ordering  col- 
lections in  their  dioceses  in  the  nature  of  Peter's-pence, 
which  yielded  twenty-six  thousand  dollars,  transmitted 
by  Archbishop  Eccleston  to  the  Holy  Father  through 
the  Papal  Nuncio  at  Paris ;  and  to  the  erection  of  new 
episcopal  sees,  and  the  assignment  of  the  suffragan 
Bishops  to  the  archiepiscopal  see  of  St.  Louis.  On  the 
return  of  Pope  Pius  IX.  to  Rome,  the  proceedings  of 
the  Council  were  confirmed :  Bishop  Whelan  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  new  see  of  Wheeling;  Rt.  Rev.  Francis 
Xavier  Gartland  was  appointed  to  the  new  see  of  Sa- 
vannah, Rt.  Rev.  Joseph  Cretin  to  the  new  see  of  St 
Paul,  Rt.  Rev.  John  McGill  to  the  see  of  Richmond,  Rt. 
Rev.  John  Lamy  to  the  Vicariate  Apostolic  of  Santa  Fe*, 
Rev.  Charles  P.  Montgomery,  and,  on  his  refusal,  the 
Rt.  Rev.  Joseph  S.  Alemany  to  the  see  of  Monterey,  in 
the  newly-ceded  territory  acquired  from  Mexico.  The 


542  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

apostolical  brief  of  July  19,  1850,  erected  the  sees  of 
New  York,  Cincinnati,  and  New  Orleans  into  archie- 
piscopal  sees,  making,  with  those  of  Baltimore,  St. 
Louis,  and  Oregon,  six  metropolitan  sees  in  the  United 
States.  The  Archbishop  and  Bishops  of  the  Seventh 
Council  issued  to  the  clergy  and  laity  of  the  United 
States  an  eloquent  and  able  address,  in  which  they  ex- 
pressed the  warmest  sympathy  for  the  Holy  Father  in 
his  trials  and  sufferings,  advocated  the  time-honored  in- 
stitution of  the  Papacy  as  a  temporal  sovereignty,  de- 
signed by  Providence  as  a  shield  and  protection  of  the 
spiritual  supremacy,  and  admonished  the  faithful  to  sus- 
tain and  defend  it. 

While  employed  in  the  labors  which  his  primacy  over 
the  American  Church  imposed  upon  him,  and  in  the  lead- 
ing part  which  he  had  to  take  in  these  important  Councils. 
and  in  being  the  medium  of  communication  with  the  Holy 
See,  Archbishop  Eccleston  was  zealously  engaged  in  pro- 
moting the  cause  of  religion  throughout  his  diocese  and  in 
supplying  all  its  wants.  Churches,  convents,  colleges,  and 
other  benevolent  and  educational  institutions  multiplied 
around  him,  and  he  had  during  his  administration  nearly 
doubled  the  number  of  the  priests  of  his  diocese,  and  at 
least  fifteen  new  churches  were  erected.  He  became 
anxiously  interested  in  the  completion  of  the  Cathedral, 
towards  the  progress  of  which  his  efforts  and  liberality 
accomplished  much.  The  second  tower  was  completed, 
the  sanctuary  and  altar  raised  higher ;  the  grounds  were 
expensively  and  handsomely  enclosed  and  improved ; 
the  base  for  the  portico  built,  the  exterior  renovated, 
and  the  touching  of  the  interior  commenced.  He  pur- 
posed also  completing  the  portico,  toward  which  he 
was  to  be  the  principal  contributor.  Providence,  how- 


Most  Rev.   Samuel  Eccleston,  D.D.  543 

ever,  designed  these  things  should  be  left  to  others  for 
completion. 

Though  of  large  frame,  the  health  of  Archbishop  Ec- 
cleston  was  delicate,  and  he  had  been  for  several  years 
an  invalid,  but  not  so  as  to  impair  his  usefulness.  It  had 
been  his  custom  to  spend  some  weeks  at  his  residence 
attached  to  the  Visitation  Convent,  in  Georgetown,  as 
occasion  rendered  it  necessary,  where,  in  retirement  and 
at  leisure,  he  could  bring  up  his  large  correspondence, 
and  perform  labors  and  duties  which  his  numerous  in- 
terruptions at  Baltimore  did  not  enable  him  to  accom- 
plish. It  was  during  one  of  these  visits  to  Georgetown, 
in  April,  1851,  that  the  Archbishop's  health  became  se- 
riously attacked,  and  before  he  could  be  safely  removed 
to  Baltimore  all  hope  of  his  recovery  disappeared.  All 
that  the  skill  of  physicians  and  the  tender  care  of  his  de- 
voted children  at  the  Convent  could  do,  was  done  for  his 
relief  and  comfort,  but  in  vain.  He  expired  April  22, 
1851,  surrounded  by  sorrowing  and  devoted  friends,  and 
fortified  by  all  the  aids  and  consolations  of  religion.  His 
death  was  a  beautiful  lesson  of  patience,  gentleness,  re- 
signation, and  hope,  to  all  who  witnessed  it.  An  eye- 
witness, writing  from  the  Convent  on  the  subject  of  his 
death,  thus  expresses  herself: — "  Could  you  have  been 
at  our  father's  side  since  the  beginning  of  his  illness, 
what  angelic  virtue  would  you  not  have  witnessed. 
Such  perfect  meekness,  humility,  patience,  and  resig- 
nation !  not  a  murmur,  not  a  complaint  escaped  his 
lips.  Truly  has  he  most  beautifully  exemplified  in  him- 
self those  lessons,  which  in  health  he  preached  to 
others.  In  losing  him  we'll  lose  indeed  a  devoted  father, 
a  vigilant  superior,  a  sincere  and  most  disinterested 
friend." 


544-  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

The  announcement  of  his  death  at  Baltimore  was  an- 
svvered  by  an  outburst  of  grief;  the  church  and  other 
bells  were  tolled  in  token  of  the  sorrow  of  the  com- 
munity, and  all  felt  that  not  only  Maryland,  but  that 
America  had  sustained  a  loss.  His  remains  lay  in  state 
at  the  Visitation  Convent  at  Georgetown  for  a  day,  and 
were  visited  by  crowds  of  sad  spectators  ;  on  the  follow- 
ing day  Requiem  Mass  was  celebrated,  and  they  were 
then  borne  in  solemn  procession  through  Georgetown 
and  Washington  to  the  Baltimore  depot.  The  proces- 
sion, composed  of  the  Rev.  clergy  in  their  ecclesiastical 
vestments,  singing  psalms  of  the  ritual,  and  followed  by 
a  long  line  of  citizens  and  public  functionaries,  including 
the  President  and  his  Cabinet,  and  the  Diplomatic  Corps, 
passed  through  the  principal  thoroughfares  of  George 
town  and  Washington,  preceded  by  the  cross,  and  ex- 
tending nearly  a  mile  in  length.  The  remains  were 
received  at  Baltimore  in  a  manner  worthy  of  that  Metro- 
politan City.  Carried  with  every  demonstration  of  honor 
and  respect  to  the  Archiepiscopal  residence,  where 
they  remained  in  state  for  two  days,  the  solemn  service 
was  performed  at  the  Cathedral  April  26,  the  Right 
Rev.  Bishop  Kenrick  celebrating  Requiem  Mass,  and 
the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  McGill  preaching  the  funeral 
sermon.  The  solemn  occasion  was  also  attended  by 
the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  O'Connor,  of  Pittsburgh,  a  nu- 
merous body  of  priests,  and  an  immense  throng  of 
people,  all  lamenting  from  their  hearts  the  sad  bereave- 
ment of  the  Church. 

"  Archbishop  Eccleston  was  gifted  with  talents  of  a 
high  order.  He  had  a  penetrating  mind,  which  he  had 
cultivated  by  laborious  study  and  enriched  with  varied 
learning.  As  a  preacher  of  the  word  of  God,  he  was 


Most  Rev.  Samuel  Eccleston,  D.D.  545 

regarded  as  eloquent,  graceful,  and  persuasive,  displaying 
great  zeal  and  piety  in  all  he  uttered,  and  was  sure  to 
enlist  the  undivided  attention  of  his  hearers.  It  may  not 
be  useless,  perhaps,  to  record  here  a  fact,  which  is  re- 
markable in  the  history  of  the  Catholic  ministry  in  this 
country,  that  shortly  before  his  elevation  to  the  priesthood, 
the  subject  of  this  notice  was  invited  to  deliver  a  prayer 
at  the  public  celebration,  in  Baltimore,  of  the  4  th  of  July, 
the  anniversary  of  our  national  independence.  He  ac- 
cepted the  invitation,  and  appeared  before  the  vast  as- 
semblage of  people,  vested  in  cassock,  surplice,  and  stole ; 
and  while,  as  a  minister  of  God,  he  invoked  the  divine 
blessing  on  the  nation,  and  exhibited  the  approval  of  a 
free  government  and  popular  liberty  by  the  Church,  he 
delighted  his  immense  audience  by  his  eloquent  appeal 
to  the  throne  of  mercy,  and  the  pleasing  manner  of  its 
delivery. 

"  It  was  the  office  of  Archbishop  Eccleston  to  preside 
at  five  of  the  Provincial  Councils  of  Baltimore,  from  the 
3d  to  the  7th  inclusively,  and  it  is  well  known  that  the 
dignity  and  wisdom  that  characterized  him  on  these  occa- 
sions were  equalled  only  by  the  hospitality  and  kindness 
which  he  exercised  towards  his  episcopal  and  sacerdotal 
brethren. 

"  In  person  Archbishop  Eccleston  was  tall  and  com- 
manding, and  remarkable  for  his  graceful  deportment  and 
ease  in  conversation.  No  one  ever  approached  him  fa- 
miliarly without  being  pleased  with  him,  or  without  in- 
creased respect  for  his  person.  His  piety  was  of  the 
highest  order  No  one  could  look  upon  him  without 
being  impressed  with  the  idea  that  he  was  a  true  prelate 
of  the  Church.  Ever  unostentatious  and  unassuming, 
his  great  aim  was  to  do  good  to  all  men,  seeking  the  will  of 
35 


546  Lives  of  the  Catholic  Bishops. 

his  great  master.  His  study  was  to  please  Him,  regard- 
less of  the  world,  which  would  willingly  have  heaped 
upon  him  its  choicest  honors,  had  he  not  studiously  fled 
from  them."* 

*  Catholic  Almanac t  1852. 


END    OF  VOLUME   I. 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


V-    I  THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


Series  9482 


